


Chaotic Neutral

by akaraka



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, Humor, Japanese National Team, M/M, POV Outsider, Social Media, it's tokyo 2020 because why the hell not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22381906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akaraka/pseuds/akaraka
Summary: Who's this Kageyama person on twitter and is he gay?1: Anonymoussee title2: Anonymouscurry king3: Anonymous>> 1It's the curry king, obviously. Have you been using his memes this whole time without knowing who he was?4: Anonymous1) Hinata Shouyou's boyfriend2) See above
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, background Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 245
Kudos: 944





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Anons' opinions don't represent my own.
> 
> **Okay...So the manga ended and rendered 50% of this canon divergent, but I can't be bothered to go back and fix everything so yep! Here you go: an alternate universe where there's no coronavirus and Tokyo 2020 happens and there's some changes to the nationals lineup. Enjoy! ******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -The missing numbers mean that the replies inbetween have been omitted (but they do exist in-universe, and you can imagine what's being said)  
> -OP = Original Poster  
> \- w is slang for "warau/laugh" so wwww = "lol" or "haha"

**HQ Forums > Let There Be Light**

**Kageyama Tobio is really hot**

1: Anonymous 

as hot as P*WER CURRY, a SERVICE ACE

2: Anonymous 

I knew even before clicking on the thread that it would turn out like this.

3: Anonymous 

OP said it wrong, it's "P*wer Curry is a Service Ace"

You're diluting the raw power of his statement by phrasing it wrong

4: Anonymous 

>> 3

as expected from LTBL, the #1 unofficial Kageyama Tobio fan board

5: Anonymous 

daily dose of curry king (1/1)

  
  
  


**Who's this kageyama person on twitter and is he gay?**

1: Anonymous 

see title

2: Anonymous 

curry king

3: Anonymous 

Ah, you mean curry king.

4: Anonymous 

>> 1

it's the curry king, obviously

have you been using his memes this whole time without knowing who he was?

5: Anonymous 

1) hinata shouyou's boyfriend

2) see above

6: Anonymous 

>> 5

you're going to scare OP away wwww

7: Anonymous 

[kageyama_licking_his_lips.gif]

9: Anonymous 

>> 7

I've seen enough of this gif to last me a lifetime, no thank you

10: Anonymous 

>> 5

That's the right answer, that right there

15: Anonymous 

>> 5

More like MY husband

20: Anonymous 

I'll defend kageyama-san's honour to the death

29: Anonymous 

>> 20

your thirst is showing

31: Anonymous 

You should be ashamed of yourself OP for being not recognizing the great Kageyama-sama, patron god of this gossip board and all its anons.

35: Anonymous 

>> 31

Látom

36: Anonymous 

OK but seriously, who is this guy???

39: Anonymous 

>> 36

Kageyama Tobio, member of the national volleyball team and on the official roster for Tokyo 2020. He's been the starting setter for the national team for a while now.

Do you not watch the news? Or volleyball? Or pay attention to ads for the Olympics?

42: Anonymous 

>> 39

nope

50: Anonymous 

>> 42

Too busy jerking off to Kageyama-san's curry commercial, I see.

51: Anonymous 

>> 50

(☉_☉)(☉_☉)(☉_☉)

54: Anonymous 

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

61: Anonymous 

How do I unsee this

68: Anonymous 

>> 50

CURSED COMMENT

87: Anonymous 

miya atsumu was robbed

90: Anonymous 

>> 87

I can't tell if you're a Miya anti, a Kageyama anti or a Oikawa anti

95: Anonymous 

>> 87

kageyama's tosses are more accurate, and he's a more well-rounded player compared to miya. the coach made a right choice, considering the rest of the roster.

102: Anonymous 

>> 87

Kageyama has more experience playing with Ushijima so it makes sense that they'd keep them both in the roster for the Olympics, especially when there's been so many other changes to the national team lineup this year.

108: Anonymous 

>> 102

stop talking about volleyball, I wanna hear more about kageyama-san's love life

115: Anonymous 

>> 108

fine, kagehina is real

now can we get back to talking about the roster

thoughts on how they'll do in the olympics this year?

120: Anonymous 

>> 115

I think Japan has a good shot at gold at Tokyo 2020 after how the world championships went last year. This generation of players is really strong, and I'll be rooting for them.

144: Anonymous 

Why's everyone discussing volleyball all of a sudden??? You guys do remember this is a GOSSIP board, right???

155: Anonymous 

>> 144

Every discussion post about Kageyama Tobio always devolves into volleyball arguments at some point, that's just a natural law of life

I like to call it the Kageyama Doppler Effect

Any fan of Kageyama's is just as much of a volleyball idiot as he is

160: Anonymous 

Can someone please tell me what's happening on Twitter? Did another curry commerical come out?

169: Anonymous 

>> 160

go see for yourself, timestamp 04:14 - 20:01

つ[[ Link: TV Tokyo Special Feature: ~Living In Tokyo 2020~ ]]

170: Anonymous 

（＾－＾✿） Kageyama Tobio really is a volleyball idiot~

177: Anonymous 

>> 169

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I laughed so hard when they both got the answer wrong that I snorted milk up my nose

182: Anonymous 

I never get tired of watching them interact, they're so cute together ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

196: Anonymous 

>> 169

KAGEHINA IS REAL 2020 CONFIRMED I'M CRYING

208: Anonymous 

typical kageyama

as expected from the King of the Curry

220: Anonymous 

Is he...an idiot...

He is, isn't he

231: Anonymous 

>> 220

they're both idiots wwwwww

250: Anonymous 

am I the only one's surprised that kageyama and hinata are actually friends?!

as in they actually willingly hang out with each other outside of practice

I thought they were rivals?

257: Anonymous 

>> 250

Uh...yeah? They went to high school together, obviously they're friends.

264: Anonymous 

>> 257

I thought Kageyama went to school with Ushijima...?

270: Anonymous 

>> 264

Are you a fucking idiot? kageyama went to high school with oikawa

273: Anonymous 

>> 264

both of you are idiots

oikawa went to school with ushijima

278: Anonymous 

>> 273

YOU'RE ALL DUMBASSES

Kageyama went to MIDDLE school with Oikawa Tooru, and he went to HIGH school with Hinata Shouyou, and he played on the same V. League team as Ushijima Wakatoshi and Hoshiumi Kourai

284: Anonymous 

>> 278

this relationship diagram is more complicated than a harem anime, as expected of the king

285: Anonymous 

>> 284

The King's Harem wwww

290: Anonymous 

how on earth are there people who still don't know they both went to karasuno???

the announcers talk about it EVERY damn game, I practically have the whole speech memorized by now

292: Anonymous 

>> 290

Unexpectedly, Kageyama and Hinata were actually teammates back in high school. Together, they shocked and terrified their opponents at national tournaments with their...

293: Anonymous 

>> 292

STOP

294: Anonymous 

1000 yen says they'll do the whole spiel again at Tokyo 2020 whenever Hinata scores or something

300: Anonymous 

>> 294

Governmental confirmation of how real KageHina is

Just give them a marriage certificate already

305: Anonymous 

>> 278

oh! so I guess that means kageyama-san and oikawa-san are childhood friends?

(´･ω･`) must be nice~

308: Anonymous 

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

309: Anonymous 

NO

314: Anonymous 

>> 305

I am deeply disturbed by this comment.

317: Anonymous 

>> 305

First off, I'm pretty sure you have to have known each other since before elementary school to be considered childhood friends

Secondly, you actually have to BE friends

And not constantly antagonize each other in interviews

Or retweet shit like [[ 10 Hours of Kageyama Curry Commercial ~Ren'ai Circulation Edition~ ]] on your verified twitter account

320: Anonymous 

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

322: Anonymous 

why am I not surprised at all that Oikawa would do this

325: Anonymous 

>> 317

middle school is also part of your childhood

329: Anonymous 

>> 325

excuse me? how DARE you insinuate that mere middle school classmates can be considered "childhood friends"

you're DEFILING the very basis of the pinnacle of purity that the Osananajimi represents

332: Anonymous 

>> 329

woah chill

340: Anonymous 

>> 317

funny that you'd mention childhood friends, considering that oikawa does actually have one...

341: Anonymous 

be careful

you might actually summon something

344: Anonymous 

>> 340

I'm going to have to stop you right there, sir

348: Anonymous 

Rumour has it that if you unlock your bedroom window at 2 am and whisper "I*a-chan" 100 times into the darkness, Oikawa Tooru will appear.

350: Anonymous 

>> 348

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

352: Anonymous 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

355: Anonymous 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

359: Anonymous 

>> 348

I'm shivering in both fear and anticipation

365: Anonymous 

since when did Kageyama and Oikawa antagonize each other in interviews?

369: Anonymous 

Sports Magazine December 2019 Interview:

\-------Which Japanese setter do you admire the most?

OIKAWA: Tobio-chan......is definitely not the setter I would pick, haha. He still has a long way to go; isn't that right, Tobio-chan?

KAGEYAMA: Miya Atsumu.

370: Anonymous 

>> 369

please tell me they weren't interviewed together

please tell me they didn't say that to each other's faces

374: Anonymous 

>> 370

they were

376: Anonymous 

oikawa x kageyama is real

413: Anonymous 

Come on you guys, you still haven't answered OP's second question properly! Where are the candids? Where are the factoids? Where's that screenshot of Kageyama's deleted tweets? What happened to being the most helpful board on HQ forums?!

420: OP 

>> 413

it's alright, I think I got the answer I wanted!

***

**[[**

**TV Tokyo Special Feature: ~Living In Tokyo 2020~**

The title of the show appears in sparkling yellow letters over a timelapse shot of the city, as dawn fades to dusk and the neon lights splash onto the dark cement in multicoloured waves. The scenery cuts to the young (and slightly nervous-looking) host, who's beaming at the camera with a big microphone clutched in her hands.

[ Yamada ]: Good evening, everyone! This is Yamada Teruko, reporting in from the streets of Tokyo! With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on the horizon this July, we've decided to take to the streets to find out what your plans are for this summer. That's right--we want to know everything about what _you_ know and love about Tokyo!

[ And Yamada-san has set off looking for the first person to interview tonight! What sort of people will she encounter on this lovely spring night? ]

[ Yamada ]: Ah, I'm so excited for this. Who should I interview first? Oh, how about those two people over there?

The camera pans over the street, and focuses on two young men standing in front of the display window of an electronics shop, engrossed with whatever sports game the TV screens in the shop window seem to be airing. Yamada walks over towards them confidently, the cameraman trailing after her.

[ Young Man #1 ]: --that spike! Did you see that?! The ball just--

[ Yamada ]: Good evening.

[ Young Man #1 ]: Good evening!

[ Young Man #2 ]: Evening.

[ Yamada ]: My name is Yamada Teruko, and I'm a television host from TV Tokyo. Is it alright if I ask you a few quick questions? It won't take long, and there are participation prizes for everyone!

[ Young Man #2 ]: You have to submit an official interview request first.

[ Yamada ]: Haha, you're so funny! 

[ Young Man #2 ]: I'm not joking?

[ Young Man #1 ]: Hey, is this one of those shows where you interview people in the streets?! Is this live? Are we on TV right now? Hello!

[ Yamada ]: We're not actually live, but thank you for your enthusiasm! We're filming for the Living in Tokyo 2020 special feature right now, and it'll be airing Monday evening. For the segment, I'm going to be asking one of you 5 questions about life in Tokyo, and we'll see how many of them you get right! Would any of you like to participate?

[ Young Man #1 ]: Go for it, Kageyama.

[ Young Man #2 ]: If you're so excited to be on TV, then why don't _you_ go for it?

[ Young Man #1 ]: I'm scared I might get a question wrong, okay! Urgh, you KNOW I suck at pop quizzes!

[ Yamada ]: It's alright, there are no wrong answers! This is a really casual interview, so don't worry.

[ Young Man #2 ]: Fine, I'll do it.

[ Yamada ]: Great, thank you so much for your cooperation! Can I ask what your name is first?

[ Young Man #2 ]: Kageyama.

[ Young Man #1 ]: And I'm Hinata, nice to meet you!

[ Yamada ]: It's very nice to meet you too. So, Kageyama-san, how long have you been living in Tokyo?

[ Kageyama ]: 5 years.

[ Yamada ]: And what's your favourite thing about Tokyo so far?

[ Kageyama ]: Uh......

[ Hinata]: I love how there are sooo many ramen restaurants in Tokyo, you literally can't go five steps without seeing one!

[ Kageyama ]: She wasn't asking you, idiot. And you said you didn't want to answer!

[ Hinata]: It's your fault for taking so long to reply.

[ Kageyama ]: Shut up. (To Yamada): I guess the ramen restaurants are okay.

[ Hinata]: Hey, now you're just copying me!

[ Yamada ]: Kageyama-san, would you say you know Tokyo pretty well? Do you think you'll be answer the questions?

[ Kageyama ]: Yes.

[ Hinata ]: This guy here still takes the wrong train home sometimes, haha.

[ Kageyama ]: Shut up, Hinata.

[ Yamada ]: Are you ready for your 5 questions then, Kageyama-san? The first question is...

[ 1. What is the current population of Tokyo? A. 13.35 million B. 12.35 million C. 13.25 million D. 12.25 million ]

[ Kageyama ]: ...D.

[ Hinata ]: Bakayama, why would you pick D?! You're always supposed to pick B or C for multiple choice questions, it's common sense!

[ Yamada ]: Actually, the answer is A, 13.35 million. 

[ Hinata ]: Whoops.

[ Kageyama ]: Hinata, you _dumbass_.

[ Yamada ]: Next question! 

[ 2. How tall is the Tokyo Skytree? A. 624m B. 625m C. 630m D. 634m ]

[ Kageyama ]: D.

[ Yamada ]: That's correct! The Tokyo Skytree is currently the world's tallest tower, standing at a vertical height of 634.0 metres as of March 2011.

[ Hinata ]: Woah, you actually got it right.

[ Kageyama ]: Of course I did.

[ Yamada ]: And the next question is...

[ 3. Which of the following colours is NOT the colour of a railway line in Tokyo? A. Emerald B. Gold C. Rose D. Orange E. Yellow ]

[ Kageyama ]: Orange.

[ Hinata ]: Are you just gonna pick D for everything and hope you get lucky?

Kageyama whirls around angrily and grabs at Hinata's head, but Hinata just ducks out of his reach, laughing.

[ Kageyama ]: Get back here.

[ Hinata ]: I was kidding! Relax.

[ Yamada ]: The answer was actually E, yellow. Some of the colours of the Tokyo railway lines are really unexpected, aren't they! Are you ready for the 4th question, Kageyama-san?

[ Hinata ]: Yeah, Kageyama-san, are you ready? Or are you just gonna get it wrong again, pfffttt--WAIT, I'm sorry! AHHH! Stop ruffling my hair!

[ Yamada ]: (To the camera) Well, uh, it sure looks like they're good friends!

[ Hinata ]: Ow...

[ Yamada ]: Kageyama-san?

[ Kageyama ]: Don't mind him, let's continue.

[ Yamada ]: Well, as everyone knows, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are coming up this July. Could you name one Japanese athlete--

[ Kageyama ]: Hinata Shouyou.

[ Hinata ]: Aww, so you do care!

Yamada stares at Kageyama, looking confused by his curt answer and Hinata's reaction. Kageyama stares back at her evenly. Realization dawns on Yamada's face.

[ Yamada ]: Ah, I'm so sorry, I didn't recognize you guys at first! Wow, what a coincidence! I can't believe my luck! It's really a small world, isn't it...

[ ...... ]

]]

***

**HQ Forums > Let There Be Light**

**How does Hinata know Kageyama takes the wrong train home?**

1: OP 

I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if Hinata knows about Kageyama taking the wrong train to practice or something, but how does he know about Kageyama's journey home afterwards? 

Unless...they're living together...?

2: Anonymous 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't even notice he said that

I have so much respect for you right now, OP

3: Anonymous 

OP let's be honest here, how many times did you rewatch that video?

4: Anonymous 

>> 3

Too many times ><

5: Anonymous 

KageHina Is Real

6: Anonymous 

B I G T H I N K, OP

7: Anonymous 

I think you might be onto something

kageyama obviously isn't the type to tell people he accidentally took the wrong train home, but if hinata had been waiting for him to come home...

8: Anonymous 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

9: Anonymous 

my ship is sailing

10: Anonymous 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to go rewatch that video right now

11: Anonymous 

and then Hinata just teases him and Kageyama looks so flustered!!!!!!

12: Anonymous 

Their casual clothes look surprisingly good! The host probably didn't recognize them because they're always wearing track suits hahahahahaha

13: Anonymous 

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

14: Anonymous 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

15: Anonymous 

[[ Screenshot of Hinata saying, "Aww, so you do care!" ]]

he looks so FOND

I swear to god they're dating each other

16: Anonymous 

>> 15

That's my favourite part too!!

And I love how hinata looks SO PROUD of his boy for getting the question right earlier!!

17: Anonymous 

>> 15

I'm going to cherish this screenshot forever (sobs

18: Anonymous 

do you think maybe they were on a date before the interview happened???

19: Anonymous 

I think you guys are reading too much into this... They are friends after all, and is it really so hard to believe that the subject of Kageyama getting lost might have just come up in conversation sometime? Or maybe it's just a random joke?

Let's not take this as some sort of relationship confirmation and just appreciate their interactions at face value, okay?

20: Anonymous 

IF YOU ZOOM IN ON THE BACKGROUND AT 4:17 IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE HOLDING HANDS

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > No Man's Land**

**(PINNED) [ NOTICE: All posts will be cleared every morning at 06:00 am sharp. Let's keep the wank in one place, shall we? ]**

**Kageyama Tobio is Gay Confirmed, pics + proof inside**

1: Anonymous 

Long story short, my sister went to highschool (Karasuno) with Kageyama Tobio and she was in the same grade as him. One of her friends--we'll call her Nadeshiko--had a crush on Kageyama in second year. Nadeshiko confessed to Kageyama multiple times over their last year of high school, and he turned her down every single time with some vague excuse that he had someone he liked. Still, she was really persistent, and when Nadeshiko kept asking him who this girl was and if she knew her or not, Kageyama got pissed and said “it’s not a girl”.

Also, there were rumours circulating around school that Kageyama was gay--apparently someone caught him kissing another guy at the start of third year, and then someone told a teacher or something and apparently his homeroom teacher gave this whole speech about propriety and kids “having no shame” and everyone avoided him for a while.

Proof:

My sister’s old uniform: [[ old_karasuno_uniform.jpg ]]

Her Karasuno diploma: [[ karasuno_graduation_diploma.jpg ]]

2: Anonymous 

first

3: Anonymous 

who's kageyama tobio???

4: Anonymous 

I ship OP's sister x Nadeshiko

5: Anonymous 

who is OP even talking about

6: Anonymous 

you guys need to stop assuming everyone outside of LTBL knows who curry king is and start including some more context

7: Anonymous 

Wow, that high school girls' uniform is really cute~~~

8: Anonymous 

(╯︵╰,) I wish I went to Karasuno

the girls at my high school just wore pencil skirts

pencil skirts aren't nearly as cute as normal skirts

9: Anonymous 

OP is your sister hot

10: Anonymous 

>Kageyama Tobio: a member of the national volleyball team

>Hinata Shouyou: also a member of the national volleyball team

>They went to high school together

Is that enough context for everyone?

11: Anonymous 

okay, but...who even cares about athletes...this is boring...

when are we actually going to get some dirt on someone famous...

12: Anonymous 

>> 11

are you telling me you've never seen Kageyama-san's curry commercial?

13: Anonymous 

Oh, you mean him. I didn't know he liked guys.

14: Anonymous 

>> 13

he likes curry more

15: Anonymous 

the "proof" OP provided only proves that his sister did go to the same high school as the guy or something, it doesn't prove that the rumours were true.

16: Anonymous 

>> 8

Excuse yourself, you cretin. Pencil skirts >>>> normal skirts

17: Anonymous 

>> 1

OP's such a shitty writer that I can't even tell what point they're trying to make. All in all, this is just a stereotypical story with no actual gossip value to unearth. 1/10, I’m out.

18: Anonymous 

OP, you should have posted this on LTBL

no one here actually cares about volleyball non-platonically

19: Anonymous 

>> 18 

this.

LTBL isn't known as the homo board for nothing... OP, you've gotten your target audiences mixed up.

20: Anonymous 

>> 8

what's wrong with pencil skirts??

21: Anonymous 

someone repost this on LTBL

23: Anonymous 

>> 21 

on it

24: Anonymous 

am I the only one who actually feels bad for him?

25: Anonymous 

Didn’t Hinata go to high school with Kageyama... (°ロ°) !

26: Anonymous 

the post quality on this board has really gone downhill...

30: Anonymous 

clickbait title

32: Anonymous 

this is like the 5th kageyama is gay confirmation post I've seen on this forum, and all of them have been equally as pathetic

come back when you have more than just circumstantial evidence and hearsay

like a sex tape

a sex tape would be good

33: Anonymous 

>> 32

Keep it in your pants, anon.

34: Anonymous 

>> 32

hands where I can see them

35: Anonymous 

Let me get this straight:

Kageyama Tobio had a boyfriend in high school > Kageyama went to high school with Hinata Shouyou > they dated in high school

Is that what you're trying to imply, OP?

36: Anonymous 

k h i r

37: Anonymous 

khir

38: Anonymous 

KHIR

39: Anonymous 

don't abbreviate it, you guys wwww

I'll say it for you if you're too lazy to say it yourself: kagehina is real

40: Anonymous 

who even cares if the guy is a homo or not, just let him play volleyball in peace

42: Anonymous 

>> 40

Hinata cares

44: Anonymous 

What kind of "confirmation" is this supposed to be? I thought you had a candid of him kissing Ushijima or something. What a waste of my time.

51: Anonymous 

this post is really anticlimactic...

60: Anonymous 

>> 44

more like hinata

kagehina is the reigning volleyball otp right now, ushikage is so rio

66: Anonymous 

>> 60

You mean "real"?

69: Anonymous 

>> 66

no, i mean rio 2016


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The timeline is lowkey fucked up but shhhh

**HQ Forums > Gossip & Entertainment**

**Looking for a stable RPS ship after mine just sank**

1: OP

I'm feeling really down right now...does anyone want to cheer me up with a new RPS I can ship? I'm looking for a stabler pairing this time, and hopefully in a fandom with minimal ship wars--my heart can't take it right now. Thanks in advance, everyone.

2: OP

up

3: Anonymous

another ○○ shipper brutalized by the current ship war, I see

my deepest condolences

4: OP

Thanks, anon. My heart just feels so empty right now.

5: Anonymous

Why ship 3D humans when you can ship 2D characters

Lose a dimension, find happiness

6: OP

It's just not the same. There's something about the unpredictable and the ambiguous dynamics between actual people that's so completely different from fictional characters. Knowing that their relationship is a tangible, delicate bond dictated by the fluctuating whims of two wildly different personalities as they meld and clash with each other...You wouldn't understand the feeling unless you're into RPS. And once you ship one, you can never go back again.

7: Anonymous

OP, you should never take all those proclamations of "XY is real" seriously. That's a dark path you don't want to go down. Everything is fake. That's why it's called fan service.

8: OP

I know I'm an idiot for actually thinking my ship was real and I deserve the heartbreak, but I'm still so upset right now. I'm sorry for the negativity.

9: Anonymous

>kagehina

go for it, OP

10: OP

What's KageHina?

11: Anonymous

not the anon you asked, but it's the ship name for kageyama tobio x hinata shouyou

12: OP

Okay, so I looked it up and apparently they're volleyball players? Um...I don't really follow sports, so I don't really know what I'm supposed to be seeing? Am I just supposed to watch the upcoming Olympics or something?

13: Anonymous

Do NOT venture into volleyball rps, OP, you'll regret it.

14: OP

???

15: Anonymous

Aw, don't scare OP away! The LTBL board next door welcomes you! We're all super friendly and we have cookies, so come join the dark side already~

16: Anonymous

you know LTBL is legit when there's even BL in the board name

17: Anonymous

the more I hear about the volleyball rps fandom, the more scared of them I get

are you sure you guys aren't actually a cult

18: Anonymous

We are all followers of Kageyama-san's cult of personality, after all.

19: service ace

>> 12

yeah, they're both members of the national volleyball team

and it's alright if you don't normally watch sports; at this point the whole fandom is so removed from actual volleyball that we've basically become an entirely separate entity wwww

(that being said, we DO still watch volleyball--we'll probably have an olympics watch thread up in July, so you can check that out when the time comes)

here's a few links to start you off:

kagehina official discussion thread : [[ **★★★ "As long as I'm here, you're invincible" - Tokyo 2020 Countdown <Discussion Thread #5> ★★★** ]]

interviews: [[ <KH> Kageyama Tobio discussing his time at Karasuno ]]

more interviews: [[ Kageyama Tobio & Hinata Shouyou Post-Match Interviews Compilation ]]

and my personal favourite: [[ Power Curry Commercial - Original Uncut Version ]]

good luck and godspeed, OP!

20: Anonymous

The level of curry power in this thread is off the charts

21: Anonymous

I literally see the volleyball rps fandom in every thread I click on, just how many of you are there?!

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > Let There Be Light**

**★★★ "As long as I'm here, you're invincible" - Tokyo 2020 Countdown <Discussion Thread #5> ★★★**

1: KHIR Discussion

KageHina Official Discussion Thread

Kageyama Tobio & Hinata Shouyou

RULES

 **★** NO bashing V. league teams, NO mentioning unrelated ships **★**

 **★** NO wank please, let's keep our discussions civil! **★**

 **★** Any replies that violate the above rules will be reported to the mods for removal **★**

[ kageyama_and_hinata.jpg ]

Previous Discussion Threads: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4

National Team Website | Compiled Interviews List | Living in Tokyo Special Feature

Welcome aboard the Tokyo 2020 countdown train!

2: Anonymous

Good morning, everyone!

6: Anonymous

good morning~

25: Anonymous

mark

57: Anonymous

another day without any new content (sob

63: volleybot

When will it be July... Even the V. league season is over, there’s nothing to watch...

66: Anonymous

>> 57

I mean, they're both probably busy training right now

We should just wish them luck

74: KHIR Discussion

Anyone want to go watch the Olympics opening ceremonies together? I already got tickets but I don't have a buddy yet~

76: Anonymous

>> 74

I'd be down!!

  
  
  


**Is it true that OT stalks this board?**

1: Anonymous

So I heard in another post that apparently Oikawa was spotted on this board before, is this true or not? And if anyone has any links or screenshots saved or can point me in the right direction that'd be great.

2: Anonymous

it's true

you can even summon him if you say the right keywords in the right combination

13: Anonymous

Which keywords???

16: Anonymous

>> 13

it's a trade secret, I can't tell you without taking away something dear to you as the cost of your wish

that's the law of equivalent exchange

25: Anonymous

Wait, do you mean Oikawa’s appeared on LTBL before? Why? What was he doing here?

26: Anonymous

Oikawa ships volleyball RPS harder than anyone here.

31: Anonymous

>> 26

?????????? Really

38: Anonymous

Are all of you newcomers to this board or something? The search function exists for a reason, you know. Go read up on the board lore before you start posting useless questions.

49: Anonymous

>> 2

Which keywords are you referring to?

50: Anonymous

>> 26

WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? Do you mean he ships KageHina

51: Anonymous

I'm pretty sure Oikawa ships Himself x Iwa-chan

52: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

53: Anonymous

Yeah...yeah, that makes a lot of sense

55: Anonymous

>> 51

this.

57: Anonymous

Why would you say that cursed name out loud?!

66: Anonymous

Okay, let's be real here. How do we even know this I*a-chan even exists? Are you sure he's not just a figment of Oikawa's imagination? And that Oikawa didn't just make up those stories that he finds every opportunity to cram into his interviews?

73: Anonymous

>> 66

didn't anons who went to the same high school as oikawa confirm that he's real?

76: Anonymous

>> 73

How do you know Oikawa didn't just coerce them into playing along with his delusions?

77: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

80: OP

Okay so I tried using the search function but it's not really working right now. So can anyone give me a summary of what this whole thing is about? And what keywords are you talking about?

84: Anonymous

>> 80

"iwa-chan", “oikawa iwa-chan”, "oikawa tooru vs kageyama tobio vs miya atsumu", "oikawa tooru childhood friend picture", "I*aizumi ○○○○○○", "oikawa kageyama who bottoms"

85: Anonymous

You have a lot of guts, >> 84

87: Anonymous

>> 84

One of these is not like the others...

88: Anonymous

That's how this whole thing got started, you know. I don't have the links saved, but here's the gist of it:

Back in the day, everyone thought Oikawa only frequented the Sports board of this forum--he has a really distinctive writing style that's hard to mimic so people always noticed him. He also complained on his blog once back in 2018 about being banned from posting on "an anonymous forum" that people managed to identify as HQ Forums, but I guess he learned how to use a VPN because he never did stop cropping up every now and then in volleyball discussion posts.

Then last year, some anon on here made a strongly worded Oikawa x Kageyama shitpost where the replies quickly devolved into fanwank. Someone with a similar writing style to Oikawa eventually joined in on the wank, but they disappeared as soon as someone pointed out how much they sounded like him. Since then, this same suspicious anon has reappeared in a few posts on LTBL. Some people tried summoning him a few months ago by testing different combinations of keywords and apparently it actually worked, meaning that Oikawa probably regularly searches the forum for those keywords and he has way too much free time on his hands.

Oh, and I just want to add that no one can actually prove it IS Oikawa short of doxxing him, so at the end of the day this is all just speculation. You can try summoning him yourself if you want, though I strongly recommend against it. And yes, he's just as annoying online as he is in interviews.

89: Anonymous

by "distinctive", do you mean "obnoxious"

90: Anonymous

Yes, that's what I meant.

91: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

93: Anonymous

Oikawa-san really needs to respect his fans' personal space

95: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

98: Anonymous

This post has hit so many of his buzzwords already that I wouldn't even be surprised if he actually showed up here.

99: Anonymous

please no

100: Anonymous

Too bad Kageyama's never graced us with his presence, I seriously wonder what he thinks of all the shitposts...

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > Relationship Advice**

**Don't know what to get boyfriend for 5th anniversary**

1: Nine

Don't know what to get boyfriend for 5th anniversary.

2: Anonymous

OP, is this your first time posting here? You know you really don't have to repeat the title of your post again, we get the point. Also your grammar is kind of terrible...

3: Nine

Sorry.

4: Anonymous

can you give us more context?

like how old you/your bf are, what sort of hobbies does he have, do you have a budget or not, how much time do you have left etc.

5: Anonymous

I mean, it really depends on what sort of thing he likes best... For my anniversary my boyfriend bought me this pendant that I'd always wanted and it was really sweet, though I guess it would be different since he's a guy...? Also maybe make sure that he hasn't already planned an outing on the same day so that you don't accidentally plan something different. I'd say just make him something handcrafted, that's always the best way to show your love!

6: Anonymous

I wish I had a boyfriend QAQ

7: Anonymous

congratulations! do you know if he might be planning to propose? how old are you, OP?

8: Anonymous

The fact that OP's alias is also a number is kind of throwing me off

9: Milk

>> 4 : We're both 23. He likes sports. I don't have a budget. The anniversary is next week.

>> 5 : What do you mean by something handcrafted?

>> 6 : OK.

>> 7 : I don't think so, we're busy right now. I'm 23.

>> 8 : I changed it.

10: Anonymous

wwww you don't have to respond to every single reply individually, you're too cute~

for my fifth anniversary with my then-boyfriend (now husband), I knitted him a scarf in his favourite colour~

it's more about the heart you put into the gift you pick and the time you spend together!

11: Anonymous

OP's bf sure is lucky to have a girlfriend that cares about him so much ♥‿♥

12: Anonymous

Looks like you're both pretty young. Instead of buying something overly expensive that you might not be able to afford, I think you should just let him know that you want to stay at home on your anniversary and then cook a home-made meal for him that night. This way, you'll be showing him that you care about being with him more than any possible gifts he could get you. And that would be the greatest gift of all.

13: Anonymous

everyone on this board is so poetic

14: Anonymous

I got this ex a gold tie clip for our 3rd anniversary; I wish he actually remembered to return it when we broke up, I could have resold it fuck

Since then, I've stopped buying anniversary gifts for my dates and I've been better off ever since

15: Milk

>> 10 : I don't know how to knit, can I just buy him a scarf?

>> 11 : I'm not his girlfriend.

16: Anonymous

...? are you implying what I think you're trying to imply? there's plenty of other fish in the sea, OP

17: Anonymous

what do you mean you're not his girlfriend

18: Anonymous

are you dating a married man??? you're his mistress??? do you have no shame??? you disgust me.

19: Anonymous

I'm literally fuming right now. Don't you know how much you're hurting his wife? How could you even do this to someone else? And then have the gall to post about it online? I hope you go to hell.

20: Anonymous

I won't comment on your life choices since it is your life after all, but you should know that "once a cheater, always a cheater". I hope you're prepared.

21: Milk

>> 18 : I'm not his mistress. I'm his boyfriend.

22: Anonymous

...............................................................................

27: Anonymous

............................

30: Anonymous

what.................................................

32: Anonymous

（＊〇□〇）……！

35: Anonymous

you couldn't have said this earlier?!

37: Anonymous

wwwwwwwww well, that sure took an unexpected turn

40: Anonymous

>OP says they're not their boyfriend's girlfriend

>Anons immediately assume OP's a mistress and accuse them of being a homewrecker

>OP is actually a guy

¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

53: Anonymous

I love finding BL in unexpected places.

59: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

65: Anonymous

this post just got ten times more exciting

71: Anonymous

I'll ship OP x Boyfriend out of courtesy

73: Anonymous

more like boyfriend x OP

80: Anonymous

Stop gawking at OP's gender reveal and start helping him, you guys! wwwww

OP, are you still there? You didn't get scared away by the sudden influx of anons, did you?

81: Milk

>> 80 : I was just distracted.

>> 12 : I don't really know how to cook, can I just order takeout?

>> 10 : Should I still buy him a scarf if he already has one?

82: Anonymous

...that's the most unromantic thing I've ever seen on this board. how did you spend your last few anniversaries with your boyfriend?! more importantly, how do you still have a boyfriend?

83: Anonymous

Hey, you never know. Maybe OP's good-looking enough that OP's boyfriend doesn't mind?

84: Anonymous

maybe OP's good in bed

85: Anonymous

@OP how big is your dick

86: Anonymous

Alright you people, get your minds out of the gutter. Trolling is banned on Relationship Advice, so don't even go there.

87: Anonymous

1) No, ordering takeout completely invalidates the whole point of staying home. You’d be better off just going out for dinner.

2) Same with just buying your boyfriend a scarf instead of knitting it, especially if he doesn't need one.

It's fine if you don't get him something handcrafted as long as you still put thought into the gift. Why don't you plan an outing on the night of your anniversary instead? Like, take him out for a romantic dinner at a restaurant he likes and then spend the rest of the night at home with him.

88: Anonymous

>> 87 has the right idea. You could also take him to the temples after dinner for an evening stroll, if you're located in Tokyo or something!

89: Milk

>> 89 : Yes, we live in Tokyo.

>> 87 : The anniversary is on a weekday and we both have to go to bed at 9 pm.

90: Anonymous

when do you guys get off work then? you could always go for an earlier dinner

91: Anonymous

I haven't gone to bed at 9 pm in 15 years

92: Anonymous

OP, this is just a guess, but did you ever fail Modern Lit in high school?

93: Milk

>> 90 : We both get home at 6 pm.

>> 92 : How did you know?

94: Anonymous

OP's replies always sound so serious, haha. Out of curiosity, what do you do for a living? Somehow I get the feeling that your job is more physically demanding rather than mentally demanding.

95: Anonymous

is this your way of calling OP dumb wwwww

96: Anonymous

I swear I'm not calling OP dumb! I'm just saying that it seems like he isn't that great at expressing himself, so it's more likely that he works a job where you don't really have to communicate with people?

97: Anonymous

you only have 3 hours of free time every day? is that legal?? are you sure your boss is allowed to do that???

98: Anonymous

Maybe OP works in construction?

99: Anonymous

Okay...so 3 hours is a little tight. I mean, it'll probably take an hour just to get changed and to the restaurant, and then you'll only have an hour to eat before you have to get back... Maybe OP would be better off just staying home or something?

100: Milk

>> 96 : I do have to communicate with people at work. 

>> 98 : I can't say.

>> 99 : I can finish my dinner in fifteen minutes and he can too. Should I look up restaurants?

101: Anonymous

OP sounds weirdly petulant somehow? it's okay, we weren't dissing your communication skills~

102: Anonymous

don't treat this as some sort of eating competition! the whole point is to spend a long time at the restaurant soaking in the ambience and just talking to each other www

103: Anonymous

OP, just stay at home. Seriously.

104: Anonymous

why can't you say what your job is?

105: Anonymous

I think you're all asking too much from OP, expecting him to plan a romantic getaway and all that when he doesn't seem to have a single romantic bone in his body.

Why don't we stick to something simpler? You mentioned that your boyfriend likes sports, well, which sport does he like? I know there's a baseball game next Saturday, you could buy him tickets or something and take him to go see it during the weekend when both of you have more free time?

106: Anonymous

This. Take notes, OP.

107: Milk

>> 106 : I am taking notes.

>> 105 : We're both busy on Saturdays, and the season just ended. I have a lot of recordings at home we could watch instead, is that okay?

>> 104 : I'm not allowed to.

108: Anonymous

Are you actually taking notes?! This is too pure.

109: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

110: Anonymous

why aren't you allowed to say what your job is? do you work for the government or something?

111: Anonymous

OP...are you an idiot...

112: Anonymous

Why does OP has the strange power to transform every single good idea into a horribly unromantic one...

113: Anonymous

I'm rooting for you OP!!! Sweep your boyfriend off his feet with the sheer power of your passion!!!

114: Anonymous

next thing you know, OP's gonna tell you he can't physically pick up his boyfriend or something equally anti-climactic

115: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

116: Anonymous

I was having a bad day today and this post really cheered me up. Thanks for the laugh, OP.

117: Anonymous

Have you never watched a single romance drama or something in your life??? 

118: Anonymous

I ship OP and his boyfriend so hard

119: Milk

>> 118 : What does ship mean?

>> 117 : I don't usually watch dramas. My boyfriend watches anime sometimes.

>> 114 : I can pick him up, he's smaller than me.

>> 112 : I'm very sorry.

>> 110 : Sort of.

120: Anonymous

Awww don't lose hope OP! 

121: Anonymous

height differences are the best ♡

122: Anonymous

okay you can't just say you work a mysterious job and then not tell us what it is, the suspense is killing me

123: Anonymous

My heart just melted a little. Ah, the power of young love!

124: Anonymous

"Shipping" means you want to ship the two of them back to high school for remedial modern literature classes

125: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

126: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA

127: Anonymous

stop teasing OP and actually give him advice, you guys~

128: Anonymous

OP how did you even find this forum in the first place? Somehow you strike me as not particularly internet-savvy...

129: Anonymous

Poor OP, are you guys just going to assume he's an idiot in everything now?

130: Anonymous

Hey, I believe you're not an idiot, OP! Really! You're just...confused about some things, but that's what we're here for!

131: Anonymous

@ OP

So far the romantic outing thing isn't really working for OP, and that's fine. Don't worry about it. You can just get him a simple gift instead. Like the other anons mentioned earlier, something like a tie clip would be a safe gift. Clothing is more of a hit or miss, and given your current track record, you should probably stay away from that. 

The easiest thing would be to get him something related to his hobby. Apart from sports, is there anything else your boyfriend likes? Or you could always try and get him memorophilia from an athlete he likes, though it'll cost you. I know sometimes people will put signed baseballs on sale, so you could look for something similar.

132: Anonymous

buy him a dildo

133: Anonymous

But then OP's boyfriend would have no use for him anymore :/

134: Anonymous

I agree, just get him something you know for sure he likes. A gift like that might be boring compared to some extravagant trip or a romantic sunrise viewing, but it's hard to get wrong.

Don't think too hard, OP, or you might break something.

135: Anonymous

wwwww you guys are too mean

136: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

137: Milk

>> 128

When I tried asking my senpai for advice today, he said "you're so unromantic, even shitposting anons would make better boyfriends than you". When I asked him what he meant, he just told me to google it. This was the first result that came up.

138: Anonymous

..................................

139: Anonymous

I don't think that's what he meant…

140: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

141: Anonymous

you guys are deriving way too much amusement from OP's confusion

142: Milk

Thank you >> 131, >> 134 for the advice. I know what to do now.

143: Anonymous

Woah, really?

144: Anonymous

OP just delivers plot twist after plot twist, what a roller coaster of a post

145: Anonymous

what are you going to get him?

146: Anonymous

I feel like I just watched an entire character arc unfold.

147: Anonymous

I'm proud of you, OP!

148: Milk

I'm going to buy him a ball.

149: Anonymous

......?

150: Anonymous

what?

151: Anonymous

is that supposed to be a euphemism for something?

152: Milk

No, I'm going to buy him a new ball. The old one we use for practice at home is getting worn out so I'll replace it after work tomorrow. Thank you for your help. Good night.

153: Anonymous

????????

154: Anonymous

you're not actually just buying him a ball, are you? because that's super uncreative, not to mention lame?!

156: Anonymous

I'm so confused............ Please explain, OP.........................

158: Anonymous

????????????????????????????????????

162: Anonymous

DON'T DO IT OP YOU HAVE SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS JUST TAKE HIM OUT FOR DINNER!

ARE YOU GUYS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLERS? DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK HE’LL BE HAPPY WITH A NEW BALL? THAT’S THE MOST UNROMANTIC THING I’VE EVER HEARD.

165: Anonymous

I'm sorry, you really should have just taken him out for dinner. I'm sorry for everything.

169: Anonymous

No....OP....that's not when I meant when I told you to stick to something familiar......

170: Anonymous

what do you mean you're replacing it TOMORROW? isn't your anniversary next week??? unless I misunderstood something????????????

172: Anonymous

OP???

175: Anonymous

You're not actually buying the ball tomorrow, are you?? At least buy it on your actual anniversary? Please tell me that was a typo??

177: Anonymous

@Milk Where did you go???

180: Anonymous

don't tell me you went to bed already, for fuck's sake it's only 8:30

181: Anonymous

I take it back...I'm not proud of you anymore (sobs

183: Anonymous

I was rooting for you, OP!!! And you're just going to disappoint me like this???!!!!!!

186: Anonymous

(ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ this isn't the character arc I wanted...............................................................

190: Anonymous

@OP @OP @OP

192: Anonymous

OP COME BACK WE'RE NOT DONE HERE

DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE

196: Anonymous

OP????!!!!!!!!!

199: Anonymous

OP's not coming back, guys... ｡ﾟ(*´□`)ﾟ｡ ｡ﾟ(*´□`)ﾟ｡ ｡ﾟ(*´□`)ﾟ｡ ｡ﾟ(*´□`)ﾟ｡ ｡ﾟ(*´□`)ﾟ｡

300: Milk

He liked the ball I bought him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *wank intensifies*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO = significant other  
> 

**HQ Forums > Gossip & Entertainment**

**This sort of shit is why modern journalism has a bad name**

1: Anonymous

https://gossip101.com/love-at-first-spike

**< LOVE AT FIRST SPIKE?! An Unexpected GAY Romance Blooms in the Womb of TOKYO 2020... >**

**Published June 11, 2020**

[ A slightly blurry candid of Oikawa Tooru and Kageyama Tobio in a dimly lit restaurant. Kageyama is sitting down, while Oikawa is leaning his hip against Kageyama's table while holding a gaudy bouquet of red roses in one hand. Oikawa looks smug. Kageyama just looks constipated. ]

Members of the Japanese National Volleyball team KAGEYAMA TOBIO, 23 and OIKAWA TOORU, 25 were spotted having a ROMANTIC dinner together last night complete with ROSES and wine~ ♡

Kageyama and Oikawa both went to Kitagawa Daiichi middle school back in the day, and they used to play on the same volleyball team. They then parted ways in high school, where Kageyama played for Karasuno High School and Oikawa played for Aoba Johsai High School. However, they weren't separated for long--with Oikawa finally joining the national team, the two CHILDHOOD friends are once more REUNITED, wow!

There had always been rumours of their relationship being STORMY--and who would have thought that underneath the STORMY SEA of their relationship, they were actually harbouring a SECRET GAY PASSION for each other?!

......

As a journalism student, stuff like this seriously pisses me off. How did this even get published?!

2: Anonymous

Classic case of when journalists take one misleading pic and run with it

3: Anonymous

There's SOMETHING so STRANGELY captivating ABOUT the CADENCE of the ARTICLE, I can't STOP reading IT

4: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

5: Anonymous

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

6: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

7: Anonymous

The SHITTY formatting of the ARTICLE is giving me a SEIZURE, wow!

8: Anonymous

this made my day, thanks for posting OP

9: Anonymous

>> 2

They sure ran with it, alright. They've probably run all the way to Hakone by now. Next thing you know, they'll be running in the Hakone Ekiden next year.

10: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHO

14: Anonymous

People actually get paid to write this? Do you know if they're still hiring?

16: Anonymous

why does this article read like the cover summary of an R18 doujinshi

19: Anonymous

"blooms in the womb"? seriously? what is that even supposed to mean?

21: Anonymous

There are wayyy too many pop-up ads on that website, I can't even open it on my phone...

25: Anonymous

I'm reading the article right now and it's so cringey that I went into epileptic shock just looking at it

28: Anonymous

this whole article reeks of "couldn't write a decent article in time for the deadline so just let me slap a ~controversial~ photo on the cover and hope my editor won't notice the content is a pile of trash

30: Anonymous

I've seen shitposts more well-written than this article on NML.

33: Anonymous

every time I lose confidence in my writing, I just search up articles like these and think to myself yeah, I'm still doing OK

35: Anonymous

I want to reach into the screen and slap the writer on the face, god I'm so irrationally angry at how annoying the prose is!!!

37: Anonymous

how many times do I have to say this, you have to have known each other since at least elementary school to be considered childhood friendsi!! and more importantly, you have to share a bond of absolute trust!! it's not that simple!!

40: Anonymous

EVERYONE write LIKE this FROM now ON

44: Anonymous

Gossip Sites: when IN doubt, MAKE everyone GAY

49: Anonymous

>> 44

all ACCORDING to the HOMOSEXUAL keikaku

50: Anonymous

Volleyball players? Since when did the paparazzi follow pro athletes? They couldn't have picked two actual celebrities to make up a gay scandal for?

52: Anonymous

>> 50

Judging by how the photo is framed, I bet the pap was tailing someone else in the restaurant and just happened to take this photo by chance. I have no idea why they haven't fired the guy who wrote this article yet, the guy's a lost cause.

54: Anonymous

this article is literally wasting server space just by existing

55: Anonymous

The photo is pretty nice though ヽ(゜∇゜)ノ

59: Anonymous

To be fair, it's hard to come up with new content when literally everyone and their mom is writing about the Olympics right now. But this takes the cake for Most Useless Tokyo 2020 Article...

60: Anonymous

Is this restaurant XXXXX in Tokyo? Isn't it really expensive? How did the paparazzi even get in?

61: Anonymous

did the pap get reimbursed by his boss afterwards? don't tell me he had to pay for the dinner himself out of pocket...how sad...

65: Anonymous

What do you think the two guys were doing in the restaurant with those roses? Were they on a date? How romantic! I could get behind this ship!

68: Anonymous

>> 65

...I highly doubt they're actually gay...can't you tell that the headline is completely made up? Gossip101 probably cropped their girlfriends out of the shot on purpose; they do this kind of shit all the time. That site is infamous for using misleading pictures and just plain making up stuff on the spot. Gossip101 is truly flammable trash.

73: Anonymous

I have to admit, the guys in the picture are kind of cute... I'll ship it~

85: Anonymous

>> 73 

same www

98: Anonymous

This is actually a surprisingly good candid, you can really feel the sexual tension in the photo, they look so intense. If only there wasn't an article to accompany it...

100: Anonymous

real talk, the two guys look good together in this picture. this pic has a lot of wank potential, I can sense it in my bones. gonna go sharpen my keyboard in preparation.

103: Anonymous

The guy on the right is really cute, A+ aesthetics! He kind of looks foreign too! 

109: Anonymous

I don't watch volleyball so can someone tell me if people actually ship these two together? I'd be down for it.

117: Anonymous

hey, isn't this curry king?

118: Anonymous

Who?

134: Anonymous

Daww they really look like they're in love! If you just look at the picture and block out the article then it's actually kind of romantic~~~ I hope they stay together forever~~~

136: Anonymous

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SOMEONE PAGE LTBL, I THINK THEIR SHIP JUST SANK

150: Anonymous

Holy. Shit.

193: Anonymous

kagehina is no longer real

200: Anonymous

Nooooooooooooooooo what about Hinata, Kageyama!!! Why would you do this to him!!! Why would you cheat on him!!!

220: Anonymous

what in the actual world is this? they're on a date? what is even happening to this world?????? I thought they hated each other?????????

231: Anonymous

Are you kidding me...Oikawa bought ROSES for Kageyama?! That's straight out of a OOC fanfiction and I'm not even kidding. This truly is the worst timeline...

239: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

245: Anonymous

WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL

250: Anonymous

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

269: Anonymous

guys, stop blowing things out of proportion 

the article is 100% speculation and there's no actual evidence that they're together, stop crying already

281: Anonymous

｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡

300: Anonymous

oikawa x kageyama is real

304: Anonymous

truly the end of an era

310: Anonymous

goodbye kagehina...I'm out...it's my fault for shipping RPS in the first place...

319: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

350: Anonymous

I can't tell how many of you are being sarcastic and how many of you are genuinely sad

479: Anonymous

don't jump ship every single time something tiny happens, what happened to ship loyalty?!

500: Anonymous

Guys, stop panicking!!! It's really not as bad as it seems!!!

544: Anonymous

@*#@*@*#(@@@@@@@@@@@#(@()@*##**@#(*@

577: Anonymous

my day is ruined

thanks a lot, OP

588: Anonymous

OiKage has officially dethroned KageHina...what has become of this world...

600: Anonymous

Go to hell OP

622: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

701: Anonymous

Yeah, this is honestly the worst news you can get. Even if Kageyama wasn't on a date with Oikawa, one of them OBVIOUSLY was on a date with SOMEONE, or else there wouldn't be roses. This is the route all rps go to die, you know. Eventually one of the two gets photographed with a girl and you'll realize they weren't actually in love or even gay at all. Guess LTBL will have to find a new OTP now!

750: Anonymous

all rps ships eventually sink...I was a fool for thinking otherwise...

774: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

800: Anonymous

TT________________________TT

837: Anonymous

just how many of you are there?!

888: Anonymous

I swear literally the entire population of Let There Be Light is in this thread right now

946: Anonymous

??? I thought the whole "kagehina is real" thing was just a meme, like curry king??? Why are so many anons genuinely upset??? Don't tell me you guys actually shipped them???

1043: Anonymous

you're all being overly dramatic can't you tell the article was obviously fake news

1258: Anonymous

oi someone go @ Oikawa and Kageyama on twitter

1283: Anonymous

>> 1258

Or better yet, go tag miya atsumu hahahahahahahahaha this seems like something he'd get behind

1300: Anonymous

>> 1258

THAT'S A TERRIBLE IDEA, YOU ABSOLUTE GENIUS

1412: Anonymous

>> 1258

what's wrong with you??? please don't actually do this, we don't need twitter users dive bombing the post. it's already enough of a mess.

1500: Anonymous

The wank level in this thread is off the charts... can we let things die down a little? Everyone stop replying to this thread and just let it sink into anonymity.

And go back to your own board, LTBL anons. Stop flooding the front page with your shitty crying threads.

1512: Anonymous

..............Just a heads up, but I think someone actually posted the link to this thread on twitter

1539: Anonymous

oikawa fans incoming in 3...2...1...

1600: Anonymous

Oikawa-san isn't dating anyone!

1666: Sparkle Blue

Oikawa-san is NOT gay! Stop making up rumours about him! Take down this post NOW!

1703: minami-chan

This is slander. Don't you know you can get arrested for making up lies like this? The two of them aren't dating and they never will. Oikawa-san is single, and until there is an official statement I won't let anything get to my head.

[oikawa1.jpg] [oikawa2.jpg] [oikawa3.jpg]

1744: Anonymous

well, well, look what I found here.

1777: MimiViolin

what's going on? I don't get it? what are they talking about?

1800: grisousweat

eww, people actually think kageyama-san and hinata-san are sleeping together? that's so depraved

1869: strawberry

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

1901: Anonymous

what's even up with this forum anyway

1984: Anonymous

Okay, which idiot posted the link to this thread on twitter?! Don't you know #1 of HQ Forums is "Don't share thread links on social media"?!

2020: Anonymous

Things aren't looking too good, I'm outta here

2222: passerby123

wow you guys are really pathetic. don't you have better things to do with your time?

2250: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

2289: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

2304: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

2333: Anonymous

What a real treasure trove of a post, this is truly the gift that keeps on giving! Thanks for the laugh, guys. I had fun while it lasted.

2400: Anonymous

Why would you even @ the national team members in the first place?????? God I hate you all. I hate you all so much.

2495: Anonymous

woah, this really blew up overnight

2513: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

2679: Anonymous

now we're the laughingstock for all of twitter, great job guys

2750: Anonymous

This is sort of shit is why message boards have a bad name

2982: Reporting in from twitter

MIYA ATSUMU JUST RETWEETED THE MASTERPOST HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA

3000: Anonymous

>> 2982

He's the true demon king.

3149: twitter tourism board

Just dropping in with a congratulations, looks like HQ Forums has finally broken into mainstream media

3966: Anonymous

Ah, Miya deleted his tweet. Guess he got scolded by the PR team.

4224: Anonymous

visiting from twitter~~~

4599: = =

Just dropping in from Twitter to say hi. What is it like to be famous?

4873: hello

So this is where the legend began, huh.

5000: REPORTING IN

USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI JUST CONFIRMED KAGEYAMA AND OIKAWA'S RELATIONSHIP [[ Link ]]

***

**[ June 14 GOSSIP101 EXCLUSIVE: Ushijima Wakatoshi CONFIRMS Oikawa Tooru & Kageyama Tobio's GAY Romance! ]**

The video starts off with a shaky cam shot that bounces up and down, making it impossible to decipher what's on screen.

"Ushijima-san! U-Ushijima-san!" a panting voice calls desperately. "Please, wait up! Ushi--"

All of a sudden, the camera stabilizes and pans upward until it's focused on the serious face of one Ushijima Wakatoshi, who's decked out in a casual jogging outfit.

"Yes?" asks Ushijima, glancing at the camera.

The reporter, a hassled-looking young man who's currently panting a hundred breaths a minute, straightens up with some effort. "U-Ushijima-san, we, we just wanted to ask your opinion about something..."

"I wasn't informed about an interview," says Ushijima, already turning away. "If you'll excuse me."

"Wait!" cries the reporter, leaping in Ushijima's way and blocking him from leaving. The reporter shrugs off the bag on his back and unzips it, pulling out a tablet from within and turning it on. "You'll want to see this, trust me."

Ushijima takes the tablet offered to him with a frown. As he skims over the trashy pink text on the screen and the accompanying photo, his frown gradually deepens. After a minute, he passes the tablet back to the reporter with a polite incline of his head.

"What did you think of the article? Did you know that your teammates were engaged in a homosexual relationship?" the reporter demands, leaning in eagerly and sticking his phone under Ushijima's nose. "Were your coaches were informed about this? Do you think this scandal might affect their performance in the Olympics, now that they've been exposed? What's your opinion on homosexuality? Is Kageyama Tobio fit for--"

"I did not know they were in love, but I wish them good luck regardless," Ushijima says stiffly, giving the reporter a disapproving look. He looks as if there's something else he wants to add, but changes his mind at the last moment. With one last, curt nod at the reporter and the camera, he takes off into a jog without looking back.

The reporter whips around to face the camera, his face splitting into a maniacal grin. "Confirmation! Ushijima Wakatoshi just confirmed that Oikawa Tooru and Kageyama Tobio are INDEED gay! This is the biggest GAY SCANDAL to hit the Japanese Olympic Team since--"

***

**HQ Forums > Let There Be Light**

  * **Ushiwaka just single-handedly sank 4 ships (3149)**
  * **kagehina is over, everyone jump ship before it's too late (85)**
  * **Everybody has got to stop jumping to conclusions and wait for an official statement (1012)**
  * **KageHina Crying Thread (51)**
  * **Speaking of gay scandals, did you know Kurahara Kakeru and his coach got engaged? (999)**
  * **Haikyuu Season 4 Discussion Thread #1 (1314)**
  * **Admit it, you're just pissed curry king got hitched while you're still single (260)**
  * **What is the rarest pair you ever shipped? (49)**
  * **There is no light anymore... (1)**
  * **I never thought I'd live to see the day where LTBL got involved in their own ship war (343)**
  * **Isn't Oikawa dating his childhood friend? Is he cheating? (302)**
  * **Top 100 pairings with the highest r18 % on pixiv (166)**
  * **★★★ "As long as I'm here, you're invincible" - Tokyo 2020 Countdown <Discussion Thread #5> ★★★ (1023)**
  * **I can't believe Ushijima was the one to deal the final blow (27)**
  * **Chill post for people who just want to chill [LEAVE THE WANK AT THE DOOR PLEASE] (101)**



**Ushiwaka just single-handedly sank 4 ships**

1: Admiral Serenade

as expected from Japan's biggest cannon

5: Anonymous

╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥ ╥﹏╥

16: Anonymous

STOP RUBBING SALT IN THE WOUND!!!

30: Anonymous

it's not confirmation! ushijima even admitted he didn't know they were dating, meaning that it's probably fake!

37: Anonymous

>> 1

Shut your mouth OP. You don't know what you're talking about.

48: Anonymous

I honestly can't tell if you guys are faking it or not.

56: Anonymous

>> 48

I'm not faking it this time! ୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭

77: Anonymous

some people shipped kagehina for real, you know. not everything has to be a meme.

101: Anonymous

You guys have cried wolf far too many times and now everything looks insincere

128: Anonymous

o(TヘTo)o(TヘTo)o(TヘTo)

163: Anonymous

kagehina was the first rps I was ever introduced to..................................................................................I can't believe it just ended like this

200: Anonymous

is this going to become another kagehina crying thread

226: Anonymous

>> 1

Which 4 ships?

250: Anonymous

>> 226

kagehina, ushikage, ushioi, whatever the iwa-chan/oikawa ship is called

275: Anonymous

>> 250

are we seriously counting oikawa x iwa-chan as a ship? isn't it just oikawa's personal fantasy?

279: Anonymous

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

321: Anonymous

Iwa-chan-san and Hinata should commiserate

323: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwww

342: Anonymous

>> 321

I'm crying and laughing at the same time

376: Anonymous

>> 321

this is so true.....................................

390: Anonymous

I was so convinced kagehina would be endgame and it was just a matter of time before they came out QAQ

400: Anonymous

*Ahem* Allow me to propose an alternative OTP for LTBL: Iwa-chan x Hinata

401: Anonymous

it's not the same (sobs

402: Anonymous

>> 400

sure, why the hell not

409: Anonymous

Nothing could ever replace Curry King and his concubine in my heart!!

416: Anonymous

>> 409

That's because you've never shipped miya atsumu and ushiwaka, the true OTP to end all OTPs

419: Anonymous

>> 416

c u r s e d c o m m e n t

423: Anonymous

You guys are forgetting AtsuHina!! They were actually on the same V. league team before, there's so much potential there!

427: Anonymous

>> 423

I agree, someone start a discussion thread for them.

430: Anonymous

ε(┬┬﹏┬┬)3 don't jump ship so easily, you guys!!!

434: Anonymous

>> 400

Do Iwa-chan-san and Hinata-san even know each other?

437: Anonymous

>> 434

I mean, they're both from the same prefecture so I'm sure they've played against each other before in high school...And doesn't he apparently come to Oikawa's games? They've probably had at least one conversation with each other.

Here's to IwaHina becoming the new board OTP, I have high hopes for this ship!

442: Anonymous

>> 437

ushihina begs your pardon

443: Anonymous

did not see oikage coming at all, this revelation completely blind-sided me

445: Anonymous

>> 443

You obviously weren't looking in the right places. Namely the extensive untagged collection of oikage porn on twitter.

446: Anonymous

I always knew there was unresolved sexual tension between kageyama and oikawa, glad to get confirmation that they're banging

450: Anonymous

>> 446

(✿◉‿◉) as if the amazing Oikawa-san would ever settle for someone as dense and uncute as Kageyama Tobio~

454: Anonymous

>> 450

kagehina shippers need to accept their defeat with grace, this is simply unbecoming

458: Anonymous

>> 450 

Another leftover Oikawa fan from Twitter? Go back to the trash heap where you belong.

463: Anonymous

>> 450

OiKage is real! The revolution was a success and the monarchy has been overthrown! Long live the revolution!

488: Anonymous

I guess there really is not much to do other than "wishing them good luck", because they'll probably need it in the face of all the backlash.

494: Anonymous

treat our curry king well, oikawa

500: Anonymous

>> 494

★~(◡︿◡✿) don't tell Oikawa-san what to do~ 

503: Anonymous

>> 500

Those emojis give me the creeps, cut it out already

505: Anonymous

goddamn this flower emoji anon is so annoying

508: Anonymous

>> 500

Are you an elementary schooler? Can't you tell that you really stand out from all the other anons? Finish your homework before you go online.

510: Anonymous

my kagehina.................................. (sobs

518: Anonymous

>> 437

www iwahina has a nice ring to it

Iwa-chan x Hinata is real

520: Anonymous

>> 518

(◠‿◠✿) well too bad~ because Iwa-chan isn't into jumpy orange shorties~

524: Anonymous

>> 520

Stop gatekeeping, people can ship whoever they want

527: Anonymous

>> 520

How would you know?

530: Anonymous

>> 520

somehow...that obnoxious set of emojis looks strangely familiar...

549: Anonymous

>> 520

oikawa is that you

555: Anonymous

>> 520

Is that you, Oikawa Tooru...?

560: Anonymous

>> 555

Have we successfully summoned the great demon king?!

562: Anonymous

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! are you saying >>450 and >> 500 and >> 520 are Oikawa Tooru

565: Anonymous

Is >>450 >>500 >>520 actually Oikawa?! Is he actually stalking this thread right now?!

566: Anonymous

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

567: Anonymous

!!! I've never been in the same thread as him before in real-time let me take a quick screenshot

this moment is going down in LTBL history

569: Anonymous

I heard Oikawa is in this thread right now???????????????????????????

570: Anonymous

EVERYONE ASK HIM ABOUT THE GOSSIP 101 ARTICLE

571: Anonymous

I love you, Oikawa-san!

572: Anonymous

>> 450

so if you guys weren't dating then what were you doing in that restaurant together please explain

580: Anonymous

>> 450

does this mean that you and Kageyama-san aren't dating after all? because there's no way you would date him right?

584: Anonymous

>> 520

If you're dating Iwa-chan does it mean you aren't sleeping with Kageyama?

Or are you sleeping with him on the side

Which one is it who's your side ho

591: Anonymous

>> 520

Did Kageyama and Hinata date in high school? Are the rumours true?

596: Anonymous

>> 520

why do you talk like a twelve year old girl, aren't you a twenty-five year old man

600: Anonymous

>> 596

(✧ᴗ✧✿) Oikawa-san can use whichever emojis he likes, it's none of your business~ 

606: Anonymous

>> 600

No one cares what emojis you use, we need answers!!!

629: Anonymous

Don't let him escape!

644: Anonymous

@OIKAWA TOORU SO WHAT'S UP WITH THAT PHOTO ANYWAY WERE YOU ACTUALLY ON A DATE WITH KAGEYAMA

650: Anonymous

>> 600

O_O You saw the article, didn't you? Since Miya Atsumu tagged you on Twitter? So what did you think of the news that apparently you're in a gay romance with Kageyama Tobio? 

672: Anonymous

>> 600

Is Kageyama dating Hinata or not? Can you tell us the truth?

696: Anonymous

>> 600

Does Iwa-chan know you refer to yourself in third person online? How does he feel about that? Does he recognize it as an early warning sign for schizophrenia?

699: Anonymous

>> 696

(◡ω◡✿) Iwa-chan's not my mom, he can't tell me what to do~

700: Anonymous

but isn't he your boyfriend

701: Anonymous

(・ω ・✿)

702: Anonymous

>> 701

wwwww you're not going to deny it?

705: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

707: Anonymous

>> 702

why would he deny it when it's the truth?

713: Anonymous

iwaoi is real-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------!!!

740: Anonymous

Okay TIMEOUT. Everyone stop distracting oikawa with Iwa-chan and get. Back. To. The. Actual. Subject. Got it?

746: Anonymous

>> 701

Enough about Iwa-chan already. Were you on a date with Kageyama or not? Are you going to post an official statement on Twitter?

755: Anonymous

>> 701

this means you're dating Iwa-chan so you're NOT dating kageyama, right?????

772: Anonymous

>> 701

STOP TALKING ABOUT IWA-CHAN AND ACTUALLY ANSWER THE QUESTIONS DAMN IT THIS IS AN EMERGENCY

787: Anonymous

>> 701

Oi, why are you pretending you can't see the questions everyone is asking you? Do you not care about your reputation? What would Iwa-chan think??

800: Anonymous

...don't tell me oikawa actually finds this situation funny

817: Anonymous

>> 800 

Yeah, probably. I feel like kageyama is probably more embarrassed about this than oikawa is, oikawa's skin is so thick it's practically impermeable by now

832: Anonymous

>> 800

Or maybe Oikawa's just holding all the pain inside him, who knows what's going on in his head?

886: Anonymous

@Oikawa @Oikawa @Oikawa I know you're still in the thread so don't play dead! Answer the questions we asked you already!

900: Anonymous

O I K A W A - S A N ?

933: Anonymous

Oikawa literally just dropped in just to add fuel to the fire...

Is this karmic retribution for all the times LTBL anons photoshopped him into JAV memes

945: Anonymous

>> 933

OK, but you have to admit they were pretty funny

960: Anonymous

RESPOND ALREADY OIKAWA

988: Anonymous

>> 701

Oikawa?? Where did you go??

1000: Anonymous

( 〇□〇）( 〇□〇）( 〇□〇）he didn't actually leave, did he?!

1062: Anonymous

for fuck's sake oikawa tooru get back here, we were counting on you

1159: Anonymous

HE'S NOT COMING BACK, GUYS!

1200: Anonymous

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

1234: Anonymous

Please come back, Oikawa-san! We're sorry for making fun of you! Use whichever emojis you like!! We need answers, please!!!

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > Relationship Advice**

**My coworkers all think I'm dating my senpai. How do I convince them I'm not?**

1: Yogurt

I'm male.

The other day, I was having dinner with my significant other when I ran into my senpai from work at the restaurant. Someone saw us together, and for some reason they assumed we were dating. We're not. But now all my coworkers think we are even though I've told them they were wrong. Is there a better way to explain it to them?

2: Anonymous

front row seat

3: Anonymous

by significant other, do you mean boyfriend?

4: Anonymous

Did you not read OP's post before replying? He said he's a guy, so we're talking about his girlfriend here.

5: Anonymous

oops, sorry OP!

6: Anonymous

So it's Yogurt-kun instead of Yogurt-chan, nice

7: Anonymous

yogurt is gross

8: Anonymous

Why do you want to convince them you're not dating your senpai? Honestly, you should be flattered. It means you're extra desirable, so take it as the compliment it is!

9: Anonymous

Break up with your girlfriend and get together with your senpai > No need for any explanation > Problem solved. Next.

10: Anonymous

How hot is your senpai, if you don't mind me asking? (º ﹃ º )

11: Anonymous

? Why are all the replies in this thread so weird??? First you get people complaining about OP's alias, then you get people trying to convince OP to break up with his girlfriend, and now there's even thirsty anons perving on OP's senpai?

12: Anonymous

www so basically, OP's coworkers all ship OP & his senpai?

13: Anonymous

OP, I get how you feel! It is pretty annoying when your coworkers assume things about you that just aren't true. I'm 28 and still single, and a lot of my coworkers always try to set me up with this one coworker even though I've told them multiple times that I'm not interested and want to focus on my career. It's probably different between guys and girls, but it really is annoying, isn't it!

Honestly, I think it's just the novelty of having something new to gossip about that's causing all this trouble. You just have to wait it out in the meantime--and avoid interacting with your senpai if it's not in a strictly professional capacity--and eventually it'll all pass. Good luck!

14: Anonymous

( ๑´ㅂ`๑ ) thanks for sharing your story, >> 13! I'm a newbie at work right now and sometimes my coworkers crack jokes about me that I don't like, so it's nice to know there are other people in the same situation

15: Anonymous

it's interesting how OP seems to be on the opposite end of the situation >> 13 is in...I guess stuff like this is equally annoying for both parties involved

16: Yogurt

>> 13 : Thank you for the advice. Is there nothing else I can do?

>> 12 : No, I don't think my senpai needs remedial lessons.

>> 9 : No.

>> 7 : It's not.

17: Anonymous

You said you tried explaining it to your coworkers but they didn't believe you...What did you tell them?

18: Anonymous

!!! I just realized, maybe OP's senpai actually has a crush on him so she's actively encouraging the rumours??? It wouldn't be the first time it's happened, I literally just watched a drama yesterday where that was the whole plot point! OP's senpai sounds super bitchy, but honestly it's the girlfriend's fault for not staking her claim earlier

19: Anonymous

that's why they're called "dramas" and not "real life", >> 18

you're reading wayyy too much into this, it's not like OP's a manga protagonist or something so don't get too carried away

20: Anonymous

suck it up, it's just office gossip

21: Anonymous

I feel bad for OP's SO...I would be sooo jealous if everyone thought my boyfriend was dating someone else!

22: Anonymous

remedial lessons???

23: Yogurt

>> 18 : Shut up. You're wrong.

>> 17 : I just said "I'm not dating him. The rumours aren't true." They replied that I didn't need to be worried, and I didn't need to hide it any longer from them. I told them I wasn't hiding anything but they didn't believe me, probably because I do hide things a lot.

24: Anonymous

"Him"? Your senpai is a guy? You're BOTH guys then?

25: Anonymous

OP just defended his senpai, OPSen is real

26: Anonymous

>> 23

you don't have to be so hateful!!! whatever, I'm outta here if OP's gonna be so ungrateful!!!

27: Anonymous

No one wanted you here anyway.

28: Anonymous

If OP's coworkers know that OP's straight, then they're probably just joking? Me and my friends crack jokes about our coworkers all the time. And if they don't know you already have a girlfriend, then just drop in a line casually reminding them haha

29: Anonymous

OP your coworkers are obviously just joking about it then if you're both dudes

I'm pretty sure they get the point if you've told them multiple times that the two of you aren't dating, they probably just like to tease you about it since you keep taking it so seriously

You're really, really easy to tease

30: Anonymous

who knows, maybe OP's coworkers genuinely ship them?

31: Anonymous

YOU'RE BOTH GUYS? Amazing. I'm all in on this.

32: Anonymous

yeah >> 28 is right, just say something like "ah, I'm not actually interested in men (LOL) but if senpai was a girl then who knows?" in a joking manner and it'll all blow over

you don't have to mention your girlfriend at all if you don't want to, I know some bosses do disapprove of office romances

33: Anonymous

Heterosexuality is overrated; dump your gf and get together with your senpai!

34: Anonymous

Wow, this is the first time someone on here has asked for advice on how to SINK a ship

35: Anonymous

OP, you should be more worried about what your SO thinks about this whole misunderstanding

36: Anonymous

just because senpai is a guy doesn't mean you can't be with him, OP!! follow your heart!! and your dick

37: Anonymous

I ship OP x senpai so hard

38: Anonymous

Forget about your girlfriend, you belong with your senpai, OP! Someone as tsundere as you needs a responsible, caring senpai to help melt that layer of ice over your heart. You belong together.

39: Anonymous

stop forcing your own characterizations on them wwww

you don't even know what they're actually like

40: Anonymous

OP, just tell your coworkers you aren't gay. Problem solved. Rumours crushed. Next question.

41: Anonymous

but how would OP know he's not gay if he's never tried it? case in point, OP should sleep with his senpai and find out

42: Anonymous

They probably only assumed you guys are dating because they picked up on the undercurrent of ~tension~ between you guys~

43: Anonymous

stop trying to gaslight OP into sleeping with his senpai, you guys wwww

44: Anonymous

I SHIP IT

45: Anonymous

OP said he has a girlfriend, OK? Why are you encouraging him to cheat?? Just because they're both guys so it's "funny"? Come on everyone, I know you're better than this.

46: Anonymous

Obviously people aren't just speculating about their relationship for no reason... OP, are you sure you don't have any feelings for your senpai? I feel like your coworkers might be onto something. Obviously you've given them reason to speculate about your relationship, so you should think hard about why that's the case.

47: Anonymous

Aren't you just victim blaming now?

48: Anonymous

It's not victim blaming, I'm just trying to conduct an in-depth analysis of OP's feelings. Rumours don't pop out of nowhere, there's always at least one kernel of truth to them.

49: Anonymous

Well OP's not gay and he's not asking for advice about his sexual orientation, so cut it out!

50: Anonymous

OP X SENPAI IS REAL AND I WILL DIE WITH THIS SHIP

51: Anonymous

OP is a two-faced asshole, OP's SO is the true victim here

52: Anonymous

OP is a troll confirmed

53: Anonymous

what's with all the wank...? why are you guys so bitter...?

54: Anonymous

I swear I recognise some of you anons from LTBL

Stop taking out your frustration on OP just because the situation is similar

Besides, didn't they post an official statement saying that it was fake news? And even the guy himself denied it so why are you guys still pissed

55: Anonymous

Agreeing with >> 40 here, just tell your coworkers you're not gay. It's literally that simple.

56: Yogurt

>> 55 : But I am gay.

57: Anonymous

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

59: Anonymous

...OP, are you by any chance the "Milk" guy from the post last week?

62: Anonymous

┌(┌^o^)┐homo......?

63: Anonymous

?????????????

67: Anonymous

So it was 3 men all along?

71: Anonymous

What...?

72: Anonymous

OP, does your girlfriend know you're gay?

73: Yogurt

Sorry, I should have said this earlier but I didn't know if it would be relevant. My significant other is also a guy.

75: Anonymous

.............................................................

80: Anonymous

?????

89: Anonymous

Why does this story sound so familiar......

96: Anonymous

God I really fucking hate you all

100: Anonymous

WOW. WOW. OKAY, I had a sneaking suspicion this whole time that OP was a troll, but seriously? You couldn't have picked a better metaphor? "coworkers" = "teammates", "company" = "team", "boss" = "coach". And “Yogurt”, really? Could you be even more obvious? Do I even need to say who "senpai" and "OP" and "OP's SO" are supposed to be???

I get that you're happy that kagehina sank, but you guys don't have to go around shitposting on other boards and rubbing it in our faces. Go to hell. I came all this way just to try and distract myself from the fucking ship war and instead I stumble upon THIS sort of shit.

Is it funny cosplaying as him??? Way to shit on all the anons who actually thought this was a legit post and actually took time to compose replies. I hope you burn in hell, OP.

107: Anonymous

FUCK I didn't even realize this was an kagehina shitpost until you pointed it out, I just wasted half an hour of my life on this bullshit

FUCK YOU OP

116: Anonymous

this was a bait post???????? OP is a troll?????????????????

123: Anonymous

K H I R AND NO ONE CAN CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE AND SCREW YOU OP FOR BAITING US

130: Anonymous

more like kagehina is not real wwwww

138: Anonymous

>> 130

You're dead.

145: Anonymous

God this post just gave me kagehina PTSD

159: Anonymous

why the fuck is this fucking fandom everywhere I look??? wasn't taking over gossip & entertainment enough for you guys??? can you seriously stop with the fanwank???

166: Anonymous

Damn, this was actually pretty in character for a shitpost. I actually believed it for a sec.

172: Anonymous

kagehina ptsd + 1

178: Anonymous

I've had enough of this ship war, why can't we all just live in peace.......................................................................... TAT

193: Anonymous

low effort shitpost

204: Anonymous

I can't tell if OP is a kagehina anti or a oikage anti, but I know their alignment is definitely Chaotic Evil

215: Anonymous

You guys caught on so quickly...I didn't even realize that the OP was a troll until you pointed it out

221: Anonymous

THIS IS LIKE THE FIFTH THINLY VEILED KAGEHINA BAIT POST I'VE SEEN TODAY, CUT IT OUT ALREADY

227: Anonymous

kagehina PTSD + 2

233: Anonymous

Don't even fucking mention that ship name

Way to go, OP, was it fun toying with the innocent bystanders that actually tried to help?

249: Anonymous

OP should go write fanfiction, your talents are wasted as a troll wwww

257: Anonymous

Go back to your own board already, idiots. Don't bring your stupid ship war over here, you're contaminating our board.

270: Anonymous

@ MODS delete this post already, trolling and shitposts are banned here

278: Anonymous

@ MOOOOOOOOOOOOODS

283: Anonymous

everyone who wastes their time baiting shippers on this forum should commit seppuku already. shame on you. don't you know trolls go to the ninth circle of hell after they die?

284: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 

Just realized who everyone in OP’s post was supposed to be. Props to OP for getting the characterization of kageyama right

295: Anonymous

Why are you even trolling Relationship Advice? Shouldn't you be focusing your activities on LTBL? Wrong target audience.

306: Anonymous

www OP is obviously a salty KageHina shipper begging for validation from other anons like a sick dog

317: Anonymous

everyone ignore >> 306, they’re obviously trying to bait us

338: Anonymous

>> 306

Did you eat shit for breakfast today? No wonder your mouth’s so foul.

367: Anonymous

I can’t believe you guys fell for it HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I could tell OP was a troll from a mile away 

389: Anonymous

Way to pour salt on the wound, OP. Now I seriously have PTSD.

390: Yogurt

What?

391: Anonymous

>> 390

@ OP @ OP @ OP @ OP @ OP

If you're not actually trolling, then here's my advice for you: Get off your phone and go talk things out with your boyfriend. You're not going to get any sound advice out of these anons, they’re all too wrapped up in their own lives to care about yours.

And trust me, you don’t want to be here while shit is going down. These guys been rabid for days now.

395: Anonymous

>> 391

OP is obviously a troll; why are you even wasting your time speaking to them?

399: Anonymous

>> 390

OP has no dignity

404: Anonymous

Stop playing dumb OP, the game's over. Now get the hell out of here before I dox you.

410: Anonymous

extra points for effort though, OP, you actually had me fooled at the start. next time don't make your post so obvious, and pick a different board to troll. what happens in LTBL, stays in LTBL.

415: Yogurt

>> 391: Alright. Thank you.

420: Anonymous

don't go yet, OP, I'm not done with you yet~

444: Anonymous

You guys seriously need to relax and move on with your lives; this is getting old.

500: Anonymous

>> 444

don’t worry about it, I’m sure they’ll have picked some other ship to obsess over by the end of the month.

the internet always remembers, and the internet always forgets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anons that got it right: #28, #52, #68, #817, #832, #933, #61


	4. Chapter 4

Tobio could feel the warm rush of the summer breeze from the open window against his bare neck. Sitting across the table from him in the cramped room was his homeroom teacher, who was currently leafing through a sheath of papers all sporting the names of his classmates. He saw Hinata's messily scrawled name flash by on the top left corner of one of the pages before it disappeared amidst a flurry of white paper.

"Ah, here it is." His homeroom teacher pulled out Tobio's form from the pile and set it down on the desk between them. "I see, your number one career goal is to become a professional volleyball player. I have to admit I'm not exactly surprised; you certainly have the talent. Congratulations on making it to nationals, by the way."

Tobio sat up straight in his chair. It was hard to keep the proud smirk off his face. "Thank you!"

"I see you've already been scouted...hmm, yes, those are certainly very respectable universities." His teacher adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat. "To be honest, there's not much I can do for you in terms of career advising; sports aren't exactly my area of expertise. Besides, I think you have a good idea of what you want to do already. It seems like you're right on track."

"Thank you very much!" Tobio dipped into a bow in his chair and almost smacked his forehead against the table, much to his teacher's bemusement. Eager to leave, he scooted his chair back and started to stand up. Hinata was waiting for him at their usual lunch spot, and he'd definitely complain if Tobio was late. "Can I leave now, sir?"

"Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to talk to you about. Please sit down, Kageyama-kun."

 _Damn it._ Tobio slowly sank back down into his chair. His spine felt rigid with anticipation of what was to come. He couldn't really see his teacher's expression behind his glasses, but he knew it probably didn't look good.

"You see, I have been informed by other members of the staff that there have been certain rumours circulating around school recently."

"Yes."

"Have other students bothered you about the rumours?"

"No."

"So they haven't affected you in any way?"

"No."

They bothered him. It was dumb and pointless and he knew he shouldn't care what people he'd never even spoken to before thought about him, but he did. The rumours, the whispers, the side-eyes, the giggles, the jokes and subtle jabs and nicknames...they made him _furious_ . Hinata told him he was overreacting, but he couldn't understand how Hinata could brush it off so easily. What he and Hinata were to each other was none of their business, and he wished they would just fucking _shut UP_ \--

"Either way, I've spoken to the students involved, and they were punished accordingly. I'll make sure it won't happen again, so you don't have to worry."

Tobio looked up in surprise. There was a patient smile on his teacher's face, and his eyes looked almost kind behind the lens of his wire-rimmed glasses.

"Thank you," he said earnestly.

"I've been teaching for nearly two decades, and this isn't the first time something like this has happened. And that's why I want to give you some advice, as someone who's seen it all." The smile on his teacher's face melted off as he continued, "Kageyama-kun. Children don't understand the concept of shame, but adults do. That's what it means to become an adult: you must accept that you will never be accepted."

The faint sounds of laughter floated in through the open window, carried by the breeze. The papers on the desk trembled in the humid air, like wingless birds preparing for flight. His teacher's voice seemed to distort in his ears, like he was talking underwater.

"The further you go, the more people there will be who won't understand the decisions you make in your personal life. But as long as you keep those choices to yourself, they won't have any reason to bother you. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?

"...Yes."

"Alright. Good luck at nationals, Kageyama-kun."

"Yes."

He found Hinata sitting with his back against the wall in their usual spot, humming along to whatever tune he was blasting on his mp3. Hinata looked up as he approached, and tugged out his earphones with a smirk. "You're late, Kageyama!"

"Shut up." Tobio sat down beside him and stretched his legs out on the ground. His pants were probably getting dirty, but he didn't care. "The teacher took a long time."

Hinata made a 'hmm' noise of consideration like he was trying to figure something out. Tobio knew he probably had a weird look on his face right now, so he kept his gaze averted when he spoke. "Where's your lunch?"

"I already ate it. Where's yours?"

"Forgot it in the classroom."

Something hard jabbed him in his side, making him grunt in pain. He spun around to glare at Hinata, and was greeted with the familiar sight of two cardboard cartons.

"I didn't know which one you wanted today so I bought you both," Hinata told him proudly, holding up a carton of milk and a carton of yogurt in each hand. "Pick one."

"What?"

"Come on, Kageyama, pick one already!" Hinata insisted loudly.

"How am I supposed to choose?!" he demanded.

Hinata lobbed both at him, and he caught the cartons out of the air reflexively. "Then you can have both. You should drink them both at the same time, like a walrus!"

Tobio cuffed him over the head with the milk carton. "I don't even want to know what you're talking about."

"Just stick both straws in and suck at the same time and _fwahh_." Hinata mimed holding two straws up to his mouth and took a deep breath in, puffing up his chest. "See? Just like a walrus."

"You look dumb like that." 

"I do not!"

"You do." After a moment of hesitation, Tobio passed the carton of milk back to Hinata. "Here. Take it."

"You're not gonna drink this one?"

"I'm not going to drink both at the same time, idiot." He peeled the straw out of its plastic wrapping and stuck it into his yogurt drink as Hinata did the same.

"I meant you could drink them one after the other," Hinata said around the straw in his mouth.

"I just wanted to give it to you, okay! Stop mouthing off."

Hinata rolled his eyes. "I was the one who paid for them in the first place."

"Whatever."

They sipped their drinks in silence for a while as they sat side-by-side in the shade. He could hear the voices of other students around the corner of the wall, but right now, right here, it was just the two of them. Tobio inched his left hand over until his pinky brushed against Hinata's. After a heartbeat of silence, Hinata laced their fingers together.

Slowly, Tobio turned his head to look down at him. There was a bright smile on Hinata's face, one that made his small face flush and his eyes sparkle with light. Their eyes met, and it was just like looking into the--

"... _Sun._ "

Tobio woke up to the warm sensation of sunlight on his face. Hinata had left the curtains on their bedroom window slightly parted again, that idiot. 

The idiot in question was currently lying on his side facing Tobio, his eyes screwed shut and a small dribble of drool leaking out the side of his open mouth. He had kicked off his blanket sometime during the night, and it was laying in a crumpled heap on the ground beside the volleyball Tobio had got him for their anniversary.

"You look like a dumbass," Tobio told him quietly.

Hinata kept snoring.

The knot of tension in his chest, a relic from the dream he just had, slowly unravelled into something a little softer. Tobio reached out a hand and gently brushed a lock of hair from Hinata's face. Hinata leant into his touch, but didn't stir.

He threw the edge of his own blanket over Hinata's stomach and shuffled closer to him until their legs were just pressed together. Letting out a light exhale, Tobio closed his eyes and slowly drifted back to sleep.

July 11th. 13 days left.

***

**HQ Forums > Relationship Advice**

**[Rant] My neighbours have sex EVERY NIGHT**

1: Doge

So, I'm currently living in an apartment in Tokyo. I've met my neighbour a few times--we'll call him K--and he's always been polite and we've never had any problems before now. But since July, I've been hearing thumping noises EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. It always starts at around 7-8 pm and lasts for about an hour before stopping. 

To their credit, the noise isn't THAT loud (I just have really sensitive ears) and it's not against the wall separating our apartments...but it's so weirdly rhythmic??? I like to listen to classical music while I'm studying at night, and the fact that their rhythm isn't in sync with the beat of the music really gets on my nerves. The fact that I'm still a single dog probably doesn't help either...

Also, I know I shouldn't stick my nose in K's business, but I'm honestly a bit worried about the sheer frequency of these happenings? I guess I feel bad for his girlfriend, whoever she is; K looks like a pretty sporty guy and I hope she's not having a hard time keeping up with him.

I'm sorry, I know I'm too much of a busybody but I'm genuinely worried for his girlfriend! And also sad because I wish I had a boyfriend too QAQ

2: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

3: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

4: Anonymous

I feel like OP knows more about K's sex life than his mom does at this point.

5: Anonymous

www OP should join the FFF inquisition

together, we can rid the world of couples

6: Anonymous

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

7: Anonymous

How rhythmic is it? (LOL)

8: Anonymous

Go talk to them if it's bothering you, I'm sure they're not unreasonable people

9: Anonymous

every night?????? won't it get chafed????????

10: Anonymous

>When your neighbours are so in love it literally hurts

11: Anonymous

I'm curious what OP even means by rhythmic??? 

12: Doge

>> 7, 11

To put it this way--it's like they're doing practice drills for the sex olympics...they're literally that on beat. I also swear they're doing it in 3:2 time, andante. How that's even possible, I don't know.

13: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

14: Anonymous

www doge-chan, are you a music student?

15: Doge

>> 14

I am, QAQ

I guess I'm also an annoying neighbour from their perspective... I practice the violin at home sometimes (with a practice mute) but at least I try to change the songs up!! And I stay away from rooms adjacent to other apartments!!

16: Anonymous

Honestly I don't think there's much OP can do... You can check the by-laws or something, but I doubt they're violating any. And do you really want to file a complaint about something like THAT?

Try buying noise-cancelling headphones or turning up the music next time.

17: Anonymous

this is karmic retribution for all the times I've suffered from having musicians for neighbours hahahahahahahaha

18: Doge

QAQ

19: Anonymous

I'm sure there's something OP can do. What if you tried talking to K about it? In a roundabout way, of course.

20: Doge

>> 19

K is the tall and stoic type though, I don't know if I can confront him directly. And about something so personal nonetheless...what if he gets mad?

21: Anonymous

I'm sorry for laughing at Doge-chan's misfortune but HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

22: Anonymous

OP is right, I feel bad for his girlfriend too www

23: Anonymous

why don't you go talk to his girlfriend then? I'm sure she'll understand, and it's always easier to talk to girls about that sort of stuff. it'll be much less awkward than trying to confront K.

24: Doge

>> 23

I've never actually met his girlfriend in person...(and I probably wouldn't be able to look her in the eye if we ever ran into each other)...

Oh! But I know he has a roommate--I saw him coming the stairs before--and he seems a lot less intimidating. Should I go talk to him instead?

25: Anonymous

RIP Roommate-kun who has to hear things first hand

26: Anonymous

I'm more surprised K still has a roommate if this has been going on for every night this month?! 

27: Anonymous

Yeah, Doge-chan, you should definitely try and get the roommate on your side! I'm sure he's also fed up with K, and maybe you could convince him to do the confronting for you. Use your ~feminine charms~ to charm him.

28: Doge

>> 27

I don't have that much feminine charm but I'll try my best!! The thing is though, I don't run into the roommate that often (or at least not as often as I run into K) so I can't guarantee I'll be able to talk to him this week...is there nothing I can do in the meantime?

29: Anonymous

Doge-chan, you should buy him a box of viagra and leave it on his doorstep as a neighbourly gesture~

30: Anonymous

more like passive-aggressive www

31: Anonymous

But what if it just makes him last longer? Wouldn't OP be digging her own grave?

32: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

33: Anonymous

Go write K a letter reminding him to take care of his girlfriend's health and slip it under his door. Problem solved. No confrontation required.

34: Anonymous

I agree with OP and >> 33, every night for a whole month is a really intense pace. I mean, I'm sure some people can take it, but it's definitely on the higher end of the spectrum. Either way, they're probably in their honeymoon phase right now and I'm sure they'll go back to a less frequent pace soon. And think about it this way--would you rather they do it at 7-8 pm while you're awake, or later when you're trying to go to bed?

35: Anonymous

You should be more worried for K... how does the expression go again?

"Only oxen die of exhaustion; fields don't die from getting over-plowed."

36: Anonymous

hahahahahahahahahahahaha

OP, the burden of K's renal health lies on your shoulders! Go save the day!

37: Doge

>> 33

Ah, I'm no good at writing letters though QAQ

What if K gets mad that I'm meddling in his personal business? If I speak to his roommate, I could always ask him not to mention my name, but K will know it's me if I write a letter since I'm his only neighbour on our floor...

38: Anonymous

Doge-chan, you can't expect someone else to do all the work for you. If K's roommate hasn't complained about the noise in weeks, then he's probably not going to complain. So don't count on him.

Besides, are you sure he's really just a "roommate"?

39: Doge

What do you mean?

40: Anonymous

yeah, the roommate could be joining in. polyamory is a thing, you know

then you'd be offending both of them

41: Doge

Ah..................

42: Anonymous

Why are your imaginations so active

43: Anonymous

and yet you're all still single, aren't you?

44: Anonymous

Being passive-aggressive is a lot worse than just being forward about it. People will usually feel guilty if you're confident and upfront about it, but if you give them time to stew by resorting to passive-aggressive measures then they might feel offended and retaliate in their own passive-aggressive way.

If you can't talk to the girlfriend, then just go talk to K in person. Trying to take the easy way out by speaking to his roommate won't get you anywhere--what if the roommate's just as non-confrontational as you are? Someone has got to take the first step here, and if it's bothering you that much then you should do it yourself.

45: Doge

>> 44

Thank you for the reply. While I know there's no reason for me to be so scared of how K might react, it's still hard to step out of my comfort zone. But I'll definitely keep it in mind. Thank you!

46: Anonymous

@OP Out of curiosity, how long has K been with his girlfriend?

47: Anonymous

why are you guys automatically assuming OP would know

48: Doge

>> 46

I think about a year?

49: Anonymous

wwwww Of course doge-chan would know

50: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

51: Anonymous

@OP So K's been with his girlfriend for a year, and you've never met her once? 

52: Doge

>> 51

Yes...?

53: Anonymous

....I think I'm starting to get where >> 51 is going with this line of questioning

It's ~Conspiracy Time~ folks

54: Anonymous

!!! I love conspiracy time! let me get my stool and popcorn so I can settle in for the ride

55: Anonymous

Conspiracy Time: Are you sure K even has a girlfriend?

56: Doge

>> 55

Of course! I can hear his girlfriend's muffled screaming sometimes through the wall.

57: Anonymous

Uh...screaming?

58: Anonymous

how do you know she's not screaming for help?

59: Anonymous

????????

60: Anonymous

??? So we're leaving the Society section and heading over to True Crime now???

61: Anonymous

what if he's been keeping her locked up this whole time......just think about it, OP. 

really think about it.

62: Anonymous

You guys are jumping to conclusions way too quickly! I highly doubt OP's neighbour is a serial murderer.

63: Doge

Sorry, I probably should have said yelling instead of screaming... I don't think she's screaming for help...? Right? O___O

64: Anonymous

you're scaring OP with your headcanons www

65: Anonymous

What if the neighbour's girlfriend just has really big lungs or something? Don't blow things out of proportion

66: Doge

Um, I don't know him that well, but I'm pretty sure K isn't a criminal. He seems too serious for that.

67: Anonymous

Don't worry OP, they were just trolling you. They do that all the time.

68: Anonymous

Either way, my point still stands! Only you can rescue K's girlfriend from his clutches! Go tell both of them to take care of their health while they're young and stop overexerting themselves!

69: Anonymous

Adding on to what >> 42 mentioned, stop being so wishy-washy about it and go talk to K already. God, OP is so annoying.

70: Anonymous

If you're scared about angering him, you could always just say something vague like "I've noticed there's been a lot of noise coming from your apartment lately. Is everything alright with your girlfriend?" or "I haven't been bothering you too much with my violin-playing, have I? The walls of this apartment complex are really thin, haha."

I'm sure K will get the point.

70: Anonymous

agreed

71: Anonymous

Just do what >> 70 says, it's not everyday that you actually get good advice here.

72: Anonymous

yeah OP, quit wasting time complaining on anonymous forums and go solve the problem yourself

73: Anonymous

You guys are so harsh~~~

74: Doge

(⊕⌢⊕) Okay, I will! K usually takes out the garbage on Sunday afternoons so I'll go talk to him tomorrow!

75: Anonymous

and make sure you look through his trash for any incriminating evidence, like handcuffs or bloodied bandages

76: Anonymous

wwwww why would anyone throw handcuffs away? you'd be better off looking for used chloroform bottles

I’m pretty sure you can’t throw chemical waste away with regular waste, but if he’s a criminal then he won’t mind breaking one more law

77: Doge

Okay! I'll report back tomorrow.

78: Anonymous

Good luck, Doge-chan!

79: Anonymous

Go for it OP, I know you can do it

80: Anonymous

woof woof

81: Anonymous

OP, you'd better report back and not leave us hanging. I'm counting on you to keep us updated.

82: Anonymous

you guys just sent OP on a suicide mission...

83: Anonymous

@ OP It's Sunday. You back yet?

84: Anonymous

OP?

85: Anonymous

You promised you'd report back! Don't toy with my heart like that!

86: Anonymous

@ Doge @ Doge @ Doge

90: Doge

I'M SORRY I'M JUST SO MORTIFIED RIGHT NOW I CAN BARELY COMPOSE MY THOUGHTS

92: Anonymous

???

95: Anonymous

Did you get beat up? Oh no...

99: Doge

I was wrong. I'm so, so, so sorry, K-san.

100: Doge

Like I promised, I confronted him today while he was taking out the garbage. I honestly don't even remember what I said, I was so nervous. But he didn't seem to get it when I tried making vague insinuations, and eventually I got so frustrated that I just blurted the whole thing out!!!

And he stared at me blankly for nearly a minute before he said, and I quote, "You mean the volleyball moves we were practicing?"

AND IT TURNS OUT HIM AND HIS ROOMMATE WERE JUST PRACTICING VOLLEYBALL IN THEIR APARTMENT EVERY NIGHT BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT A MATCH COMING UP SOON SO THEY'RE PUTTING IN EXTRA PRACTICE

And then he apologized for making so much noise and said it won't happen again and I think I died a little inside…….

He was mortified too and I just.......

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

101: Anonymous

Well...that sure took an unexpected turn.

102: Anonymous

what kind of idiot practices volleyball indoors??? it's not your fault for misunderstanding, OP

103: Anonymous

It's called indoor volleyball for a reason, you guys www

104: Anonymous

Not THAT reason!

105: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHA Are you sure volleyball wasn't just a euphemism for something?

106: Doge

I'm sure...you just can't fake that level of enthusiasm, it's not possible...

Either way, I wish them good luck...I hope they win whatever match they're practicing for...then my two weeks of torture will have been worth it...

Can someone please wipe away my memories of this whole weekend....................

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > Let There Be Light**

**Miya Atsumu x Ushiwaka Love Thread #1 - A Ship to End All Ships**

1: Anonymous

By popular demand, I've created an official discussion post for this match made in heaven. King of kings. Lord of lords. The once and future king. One ship to rule them all. The One True Pairing. What are you waiting for? Discuss.

[ A screenshot of the official portraits on the national volleyball team website, with Ushijima and Miya's photos sloppily photoshopped together. ]

2: Anonymous

what popular demand?

3: Anonymous

This is the rarest rps I've ever shipped, and I've shipped hoshiumi with bokuto before

4: Anonymous

>> 3

who and who??

5: Anonymous

ushiwaka would top

6: Anonymous

>> 5

Miya Atsumu would like to know your location.

7: Anonymous

How come Miya gets to be Miya Atsumu while Ushijima's reduced to "Ushiwaka"?

8: Anonymous

>> 7

Don't you find it endearing? It adds to the atmosphere of ~romance~ in this thread.

9: Anonymous

OP needs to reverse the order of the names in the post title, I can't agree with this current dynamic

Ushiwaka would totally top

10: Anonymous

>> 10

why are you also calling him ushiwaka www

11: Anonymous

How do I unsee this post

12: Anonymous

10 DAYS UNTIL THE OLYMPICS!!! GOOD LUCK, USHIWAKA AND MIYA!!!

13: Anonymous

I'm glad to see everyone has recovered from the ship war last month! Now this is more like the LTBL I know and love.

14: Anonymous

what ship war? can someone explain?

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > A Conscious Dreamer**

**The main character of my webcomic is supposed to be an Olympic athlete, but I don't know how to make it realistic**

1: OP

So I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and draw a webcomic about a male pro athlete who's competing in the Olympics. I haven't exactly decided on which sport yet (I want it to be a team sport), and I'm not really sure how to make it realistic (like training, everyday life, etc.), given that I don't really watch sports. Or should I just give up on the realism aspect and make it a parody?

2: Anonymous

You should have started your webcomic ages ago; the hype train has already left the station.

3: Anonymous

I'd read a gag manga about Olympic athletes fucking around in the Olympic village @OP

4: Anonymous

You can check out Oikawa Tooru's blog here if you need inspiration --> [[ LINK ]]

Just so you know: he's on the men's volleyball team, and he talks about his daily life a lot on the blog so go check it out if you need a reference.

5: Anonymous

>> 4

If by daily life you mean his childhood friend, then sure.

6: Anonymous

>> 4

Don't call it a blog when it's clearly a shrine

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > The Green Onion**

**Olympic Committee recommends athletes refrain from having penetrative sex on their beds to prevent collapse**

**Extreme ironing being considered for the Paris 2024**

**Woman consumes 56 poppy seed muffins in one sitting, gets high on opium**

**Thieves make off with 20000 litres of maple syrup in a sticky crusade**

**Hatsune Miku rumoured to appear in opening ceremonies of the Olympics**

**First competitive anime watching competition to be held in December**

**10 year old girl who can't finish her homework in time calls a taxi and asks to be taken to the orphanage**

**Scientists argue tennis should be banned from the Olympics due to its devastating impact on Earth's gravitational field**

**Chiitan caught on camera eating pizza with chopsticks**

**Olympic volleyball player claims he would be 200 cm tall if he could become one with a blue whale catfish**

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > Sports**

**Tokyo 2020 Predictions Thread**

1: Anonymous

7 days left. Any last thoughts, predictions, hopes, rants you want to get off your chest?

205: Anonymous

Kurahara for gold

366: Anonymous

>the men's volleyball team will do well this Olympics

420: Anonymous

>> 366

Agreed. They did pretty well in the volleyball world cup last year, I have high hopes for them.

607: Anonymous

Just because they "did well" last year doesn't mean they're going to win gold this time around

610: Anonymous

>> 607

（＾－＾✿）of course we're going to win~

636: Anonymous

>> 610

that you, Oikawa Tooru?

704: Anonymous

>> 610

I see you've sworn your oath, Oikawa. Watch out, we'll hold you responsible if you guys don't win this year.

720: Oikawa Tooru

>> 704

Bring it on.

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > Spirits Etc.**

**Heard this Olympics story from my cousin's friend's nephew's step-mother's third uncle's brother-in-law's neighbour**

1: Anonymous

Legend has it in 1988 a Japanese Olympic's women's triathlon bronze medalist was walking down a road in Tokyo at night when suddenly she saw a weird shape around a street corner. She went home and still felt eyes on her no matter which room she was in. She went to the toilet and still felt someone watching her. She was scared. Then she went to bed at night and turned off all the lights and pulled on her sleeping mask and tried to go to sleep but she could still feel that someone was watching her. She was so scared she pulled off her sleeping mask and in the inside of the sleeping mask there was a pair of bulby eyes watching her!1!!1!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2: Anonymous

2/10 and stop with the shitty olympics themed stories already, they're just not that spooky just because you write about a popular topic doesn't mean your post will get popular

3: Anonymous

Can we stop talking about the Olympics already? I'm sick to death of seeing the ads everywhere.

4: Anonymous

>> 3

but aren't you excited for it????????????????????????

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > Gossip & Entertainment**

**Did you know 450000 condoms were used at Rio 2016**

1: Anonymous

wanna bet how many will be used at Tokyo 2020

2: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

3: Anonymous

I dunno, those cardboard beds don't look that sturdy...

4: Anonymous

This is the kind of gossip I live for (LOL)

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > No Man's Land**

**< Article> Man tries scamming people out of Olympics tickets, gets caught and fakes being possessed by an evil spirit**

1: Anonymous

https://gossip101.jp/olympics-scam-posession

2: Anonymous

????????????

3: Anonymous

Alright, it's official. This is the 100% the weirdest Tokyo 2020 news article I've seen all year.

4: Anonymous

>> 3

there's still 3 days left though

plenty of time for some other dumbass to take the crown

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > Relationship Advice**

**broke up with my girlfriend yesterday**

1: Anonymous

so does anyone want to buy 2 tickets to the Olympics opening ceremonies off me

I'll give you a 2% discount 'cause I'm desperate

2: Anonymous

...No wonder your girlfriend broke up with you.

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > Dimension 2**

**< The Prince of Volleyball's Free Basket is Running with a Windup!!> Gets TV Anime Adaptation**

1: News Koi

twitter.com/prince_of_volleyball_anime/status/1223531435224719360

[prince_of_volleyball.jpg]

2: niconiconi

Wow, really? I thought manga sales weren't doing well?

3: Prince

congratulations to Udai Tenma-san I guess

thanks for bringing us the news as always, friend

4: News Koi

no problem~

4: flying fish

quick, someone page sun-chan------------------------------! his favourite manga is getting an anime----------------!

5: (・∀・ )

Sun-chan’s going to be ecstatic (LOL)

I'm surprised he hasn't shown up on here to celebrate yet

6: phosphophyllite

He's been pretty busy recently, hasn't he? I haven't seen him online in ages.

  
  
  


**Anyone want to stream the Olympics together?**

1: hiroki

stop watching sports anime you guys and go support our athletes

wanna make a watch thread for the opening ceremonies tomorrow?

2: = =

there's barely a hundred of us on this board though...

3: hiroki

I can make a server or something if you guys want to join www

4: Pet

S-So forward, Hiroki-san! I don't know if I'm ready to open my heart to you yet~

5: Anonymous

which events are you guys going to watch? I usually watch the opening ceremonies, gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and basketball

6: Wisteria House

Pretty much the same as >> 5 but I also watch the marathon

Apparently there's going to be baseball this year too

7: ace

I feel like I'm the only one who watches road cycling haha

8: ☼

you guys should watch the mens volleyball tournament!

9: Anonymous

Why would I wanna watch sweaty men play with balls when I can watch anime girls instead?

10: ☼

because we're definitely gonna win gold this year!!

  
  
  


**HQ Forums > Let There Be Light**

**Olympics Watch Thread #1 - Opening Ceremonies Edition**

1: Anonymous

★ NO bashing athletes, NO trolling allowed. ★

★ NO wank please, let's keep our discussions civil! ★

★ The thread will be strictly moderated, with offending posts removed.★

O O O O O

The opening ceremonies will be airing at 20:00 on July 24th.

You can watch the broadcast online [[ HERE ]] or [[ HERE ]]

Happy Viewing and good luck to Team Japan!!!!!

O O O O O

99: Anonymous

I’ve been ready since I was born

204: Anonymous

Signing in~ I'm ready.

699: Anonymous

5 minutes until 20:00!

723: Anonymous

5..........4..........3............2...........1..........

724: Anonymous

IT'S STARTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	5. In media res

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bonus points if you catch all the references

Like all stories on the internet, this one doesn't have a clear beginning.

***

**HQ Forums > Let There Be Light**

**What's the worst acting in a commercial you've ever seen?**

1: Anonymous

Ichii Maina is hands-down the worst actress ever to grace this planet with her slimy presence. She's so fake it makes me want to puke.

2: Anonymous

??????

6: Anonymous

...Are we seriously going to do this here? Haven't you already had your fill of wank over at G&E?

15: Eripiyo

>> 1

Take that back, you filthy mongrel! Maina-chan is a goddess!

22: Anonymous

Who???

31: Anonymous

OP is obviously trolling, you're all idiots for taking the bait

35: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

42: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

49: Anonymous

>> 1

wwwww she obviously slept her way to the top, how else do you think she got all those commercials?

53: Anonymous

>> 49

Stop. Spreading. Baseless. Rumours.

57: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

60: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

63: Anonymous

[ This post has been removed by the moderators for violating forum guidelines. ]

66: Anonymous

someone call Wank Patrol, shit is GOING DOWN right now

75: Anonymous

Are you kidding me? This is the BL board, you braindead slugs. Either start talking about BL or shut the hell up and take your wank elsewhere. No one here even cares about your creepy idol bullshit.

80: Anonymous

>> 75

as if our shipping bullshit is any less creepy wwww

88: Anonymous

>> 75

Pot calling the kettle black here. But I don't care, I'll ship my OTP until Ichii Maina's dying breath ^^

90: MODERATOR

Unless you're specifically discussing Ichii Maina sleeping with her fellow female idols, this sort of heterosexual discussion is not appropriate or suitable for LTBL. If the posts continue to be off-topic, I will have to lock this thread.

97: Anonymous

Someone say something...I'm bored...

100: Anonymous

I know OP was just trolling and has long since disappeared by now, but you guys seriously HAVE to watch this commercial. It's the funniest thing I've seen all day.

[[ Link : Power Curry Commercial 2018 ]]

102: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

105: Anonymous

>> 100

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Where'd you dig up this gem from?!

109: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

111: Anonymous

>> 105

What can I say, youtube algorithms are real fucked up.

124: Anonymous

>> 100

this made my day, thanks anon

129: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

130: Anonymous

>> 100

He's hot though, so I can forgive his acting.

133: Anonymous

>> 130

Agreed

136: Anonymous

So I went down the rabbit hole of sports commercials on YouTube and my only question is this: is the level of attractiveness of a pro athlete inversely proportional to their acting abilities?! 

144: Anonymous

>> 136

Nah, I think it's just the volleyball players. I cringed every time I saw those "Team Japan" volleyball commercials during Rio 2016--they were so stiff they looked like blow-up dolls.

146: Anonymous

>> 144

THAT'S A HORRIBLE COMPARISON IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD

The whole point of blow-up dolls is that they're NOT supposed to be stiff

151: Anonymous

Oikawa Tooru's acting is not THAT bad, he just...tries too hard. On the other hand, Kageyama Tobio doesn't try at all.

160: Anonymous

Ichii Maina should just go die already, what a worthless human being

168: Anonymous

>> 151

Who's oikawa tooru? Is he also a volleyball player?

174: Anonymous

all these sports fans crawling out of the woodwork like woah

181: Anonymous

who's Kageyama Tobio

184: Anonymous

>> 181

are you dumb? he's the dude in the commercial! google exists for a reason you know.

190: Anonymous

I get not knowing who Kageyama Tobio is if you live under a rock (which most of us do), but Oikawa Tooru's practically a legend on No Man's Land and the Sports board. Have you seriously never heard of the 2018 DoxMaster Olympics Quarterfinals, aka the greatest mass banning event on HQ forum history, aka the *^7 Incident?

194: Anonymous

>> 190

Ohhhh that was him? Yeah, I remember now, thanks for the refresher.

197: Anonymous

someone remind me what *^7 is again?

199: Anonymous

>> 197

***-****

201: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

203: Anonymous

>> 199

ssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhush, you

207: Anonymous

>> 190

;__; I lost two of my sockpuppets in the crossfire and I still have PTSD to this day 

210: Anonymous

>> 199

I love how I know exactly what and who you're referring to. Is that what they call the power of the internet?

P.S. Does anyone have the copypasta of Oikawa's rant saved? I wanted to relive the magic but all those posts were deleted :/

218: Anonymous

>> 181

Kageyama Tobio's a player on the national volleyball team. He played in Rio 2016: [kageyama_rio.jpg]

224: Anonymous

>> 218

I thought he was a marathon runner??? Since when did he play volleyball???

231: Anonymous

>> 218

He's the one with the hot coach, isn't he? 

259: Anonymous

for fuck's sake, why is everyone on this forum both blind and an idiot?

kageyama tobio and kurahara kakeru are two completely separate entities, okay? kageyama parts his hair down the middle, and kurahara has bangs. fucking get it right next time.

273: Anonymous

Fingers crossed for the day Kageyama reverts back to bangs

The middle part isn't doing his face justice

295: Anonymous

>> 259

Not everyone watches sports on this forum okay? You trigger-happy moron.

300: Anonymous

>> 295

go burn in hell.

310: Anonymous

>> 300

Only if you join me there, you piece of non-biodegradable shit.

327: Anonymous

You guys HAVE to check out Kageyama Tobio's twitter:

days123 @thecloudsgather

[ kageyama-san, over here~ do you prefer girls with short hair or long hair? (*ﾉωﾉ) @KageyamaTobio @KageyamaTobio @KageyamaTobio ]

|

Kageyama Tobio @KageyamaTobio

Replying to @thecloudsgather

[ What's the difference? I don't care. ]

kakusei @Moratorium

[ @KageyamaTobio What tips do you have for someone who wants to improve their volleyball skills? I'm in middle school and I'm having trouble with my serve. ]

|

Kageyama Tobio@KageyamaTobio

Replying to @Moratorium

[ Keep practicing. ]

youcanredo @SakuraNagashi

[ @KageyamaTobio I practice volleyball everyday but I'm still bad at it, what am I doing wrong? what should I do? ]

|

Kageyama Tobio @KageyamaTobio

Replying to @SakuraNagashi

[ Work harder. ]

Chiitan Love 100% @isshixrai

[ @KageyamaTobio I'm your biggest fan, Kageyama-senshu! I've been following all your games since your debut and good luck at the World Cup! ]

|

Kageyama Tobio @KageyamaTobio

Replying to @isshixrai

[ Hi Chiitan Love 100%, thank you for your continued support. I will keep trying my best as a representative of our country. ]

Winter's Story @given

[ @KageyamaTobio what was your favourite memory of Rio 2016? ]

|

Kageyama Tobio @KageyamaTobio

Replying to @given

[ The food delivery service. ]

333: Anonymous

His replies sound like someone from the PR department was holding him at knifepoint and forcing him to write them.

335: Anonymous

>> 333

it's not THAT bad, come on

336: Anonymous

Why does his tweet sound so much like an automated customer service thank-you message??? Is he a robot??? I think I kind of get why his acting's so terrible now...

340: Anonymous

>> 327

"Work harder" yeah of course it's that easy, thanks for crushing my volleyball dreams, Kageyama-san.

347: Anonymous

>> 320

CRINGEEEE does he seriously think he sounds "cool" or "aloof" or something? Stop trying so hard to maintain your public image, Kageyama. You're not even a real celebrity. Besides, the tsundere characterization schtick is so 2018.

351: Anonymous

wwwwww His social media accounts are like a breath of fresh air, and I mean this in the worst way possible

357: Anonymous

He hasn't posted a new tweet in months...wanna bet he got in trouble for his tweets?

360: Anonymous

there's more where this came from:

[kageyama_twitter_screenshot1.jpg]

[kageyama_twitter_screenshot2.jpg]

[kageyama_twitter_screenshot3.jpg]

[kageyama_twitter_screenshot4.jpg]

[kageyama_twitter_screenshot5.jpg]

[kageyama_twitter_screenshot6.jpg]

389: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

400: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwww this guy's social media is literally a goldmine; how has no one noticed before?!

458: Anonymous

This makes me want to become a celebrity just so I can bullshit my way through interviews

\-------Monthly DokiDoki Interview Jan. 2018-------

Q: Now, onto the question I'm sure your fans are the most curious about--is there a special woman in your life right now?

KAGEYAMA: Yes. My mother.

Q: What's your ideal type?

KAGEYAMA: Type? Of what?

Q: What kind of qualities do you look for in a significant other?

KAGEYAMA: Is this relevant to volleyball?

Q: So you're currently still single?

KAGEYAMA: Next question.

Q: Is there something you want to tell your fans?

KAGEYAMA: Thank you for your continued support. I will keep trying my best as a representative of our country.

Q: Anything else on your mind that you'd like to say?

KAGEYAMA: Is the interview over yet?

\-------End of Interview-------

460: Anonymous

arrogant asshole

464: Anonymous

>> 458

What an impenetrable defence. I can't tell if he's being smooth or just a dumbass.

467: Anonymous

>> 458

wwwwwwwwwwwwww is he retarded?! you're supposed to satisfy the audience's curiosity, that's the whole point of interviews

470: Anonymous

>> 458

Love his personality 11/10 would bang with rice

473: Anonymous

>> 458

I'm more surprised that they actually just published this...? Same with the curry commercial, what are these PR people even thinking?

480: Anonymous

>> 458

no wonder he's still single *shakes head sadly*

490: Anonymous

>> 473

I think it's cute ( :3c 

Isn't the subversion between how he looks and how he actually acts really cute?

495: Anonymous

Isn't his thank you response the same one as the one in his tweet? What, did he memorize it or something?

501: Anonymous

HIT ME WITH MORE OF THAT CONCENTRATED CURRY KING CRINGE

511: Anonymous

>> 501

is that what we're calling him now wwww

520: Anonymous

>> 501

You asked for it. I've had this video clip saved in my playlist for so long and I'm glad I finally get to share it with the world.

[[ LINK: Meet the Champions Variety Show 20160820 - National Volleyball Team ]]

531: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

550: Anonymous

There truly is nothing in Kageyama's head except volleyball. I despair for his future spouse.

588: Anonymous

>> 520

Wow, Kageyama used to look so innocent... What happened to him?

593: Anonymous

>> 588

a middle part

601: Anonymous

Can we petition him to cut his bangs for Tokyo 2020? How much do I have to donate to the team to make that happen?

649: Anonymous

>> 520

This one wasn't that cringey, just hilarious. And actually kind of heartwarming.

757: Anonymous

My stomach hurts from laughing......

866: Anonymous

>> 520

I think I've been converted to a Kageyama fan

Does anyone want to explain the rules of volleyball to me?

944: Anonymous

I must say, this post isn't gay enough by LTBL standards

1022: Anonymous

>> 944

agreed, if you're not going to talk about shipping then take the celebrity worship elsewhere. this isn't the right forum for that.

1046: Anonymous

>> 1022

Don't worry, I can fix that. This gay enough for you yet?

[It's the promotional image for Your Name., except Kageyama's face is sloppily plastered on top of the girl's while Ushijima's fuzzy face stares at him beseechingly from the other side.jpg]

[Kageyama and Ushijima sitting side by side on a bench in the Adlers' uniforms, except Ushijima's hand is now mysteriously placed over Kageyama's butt in a feat that should not be humanly possible considering the gap between them.jpg]

[Ushijima watching politely as Kageyama says something on the set of what looks like a variety show, except red scribbles have been drawn over Kageyama's cheeks to mimic a blush with what looks like the M*crosoft paint tool.jpg]

[Just a regular picture of Kageyama and Ushijima standing together with the rest of their teammates cropped out, except the annoying blue filter from the anime K has been slapped over it and it's also pink.jpg]

1050: Anonymous

>> 1046

PHOTOSHOP QUEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1053: Anonymous

>> 1050

=___= did you photoshop these pics in MS paint?

1060: Anonymous

>> 1053

Nah, I used PowerPoint.

1065: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Is that Ushijima Wakatoshi?! Out of all the teammates you could've picked for Kageyama you just had to pick him?!

1073: Anonymous

>> 1046

I can't tell if you're a monster or a genius for shipping these two together

1111: Anonymous

>> 1046

truly a match made in heaven

they look exactly like model coworkers

1200: Anonymous

>> 1168

USHIKAGE IS REAL

1255: Anonymous

Someone find Kageyama a uke wwwwwwwwwwwww

Two semes don't have a future together

1288: Anonymous

>> 1255

bold of you to assume he'd top

1290: Anonymous

>> 1288

Bold of you to assume he'd bottom

1311: Anonymous

>> 1255

How about Oikawa Tooru?

1390: Anonymous

>> 1311

Do they even know each other?

1408: Anonymous

>> 1311

oikawa already has *^7 though, so kageyama's going to need to find someone else!

1420: Anonymous

Oikawa x Iwa-chan is real

1423: Anonymous

>> 1420

be careful, you-know-who is watching

1451: Anonymous

Everyone on the national team is either married, ugly, or ushijima 

When will the king find his perfect concubine?

1489: Anonymous

>> 1451

You're exaggerating. There's Miya Atsumu, Oikawa Tooru, Hoshiumi Kourai, Bokuto Koutarou................I could go on and on. So many options.

1500: Anonymous

>> 1489

Why choose when you can HAVE THEM ALL

1502: Anonymous

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

1530: Anonymous

surprisingly enough there's actually already a volleyball rps fandom!! I thought we were the first ones to come across this fandom but it seems that volleyball rps already exists HAHAHAHAHA

people really have no life

1543: Anonymous

>> 1530

WHAT'S THE NUMBER 1 PAIRING FOR KAGEYAMA THOUGH I HAVE TO KNOW

1559: Anonymous

>> 1543

Hinata Shouyou, apparently? The tag's called kagehina

1580: Anonymous

>> 1559

never heard of him, was he in rio?

1588: Anonymous

>> 1580

He's the short guy on the team, the one with the orange hair. Did you know they went to high school together?

1591: Anonymous

>> 1588

SERIOUSLY???

1596: Anonymous

I swear you people are blindfolding yourselves and shooting darts at names on a board to pick your next obsession... Does anyone here even watch volleyball?

1610: Anonymous

Yo I found a kagehina masterpost on this account @sunandshadows [[ LINK ]]

1623: Anonymous

>> 1610

You shouldn't post links to regular people's twitter accounts, it's bad etiquette. Go page the mods and ask them to delete your post.

1641: Anonymous

>> 1623

no one cares enough to ship them for real, don't worry

they'll lose interest in no time

1666: Anonymous

Are we actually doing this...? But I don't even care about volleyball?

1679: Anonymous

As someone who's been in the volleyball rps fandom for years, I'm glad that people are discovering the fandom and the players in time for the Olympics! But please treat them with respect and don't actually bring up the shipping to their faces; they're not celebrities or idols and their private lives are really none of their business. Especially the players who are already married; you know who I'm talking about.

1700: Anonymous

[kageyama_and_hinata.jpg]

kagehina is real

1720: Anonymous

You guys don't even watch volleyball wwwwwwwwwww

1818: Anonymous

I can't believe I spent all night watching Kageyama's interviews when I have a job interview tomorrow

1900: Anonymous

? I don't really get where this post is going? I thought we were making fun of his cringiness but now people are actually shipping him with ninja shouyou? Am I supposed to hate Kageyama or root for him or what?

1953: Anonymous

WHICH ONE OF YOU MADE THIS: [[ 10 Hours of Kageyama Curry Commercial ~Ren'ai Circulation Edition~ ]]

How are you guys this fast, seriously? This thread was only posted yesterday??? And now we already have a theme song???

2020: Anonymous

We should adopt him as our mascot. What better way to represent a forum full of shut-ins than a dude who's the most socially awkward person to step foot on this planet?

2582: Anonymous

so we're calling him curry king now? 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA nice

2666: Anonymous

the thirst in this thread is off the charts

2689: Anonymous

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Thank you, anons, for making my day.

2700: Anonymous

>> 2689

you should thank the curry king, god bless him

2835: Anonymous

the king has abs

[kageyama_abs.jpg]

2850: Anonymous

>> 2835

pero pero

2977: Anonymous

Kageyama-san can swallow me down like he swallows his curry <3

3000: Anonymous

Your posts are all NOT GAY ENOUGH how many times do I have to say this @MODS

3010: Anonymous

>> 3000

I'll start photoshopping Kageyama and Hinata's face into JAVs if I have to so let me have this thread, okay?

3149: Anonymous

You guys are locusts. Seriously.

  
  
  


**Since when did LTBL become curry king's #1 fan forum?**

1: Anonymous

I thought we were making fun of him? Don't suddenly change gears, okay? You're throwing me off.

3: Anonymous

Sure, "fan" forum.

9: Anonymous

>> 3

Aww, don't be mean! I consider myself a 100% pure 24-carat gold-plated true fan of Curry King's

15: Anonymous

>> 9

I genuinely can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.

24: Anonymous

The amount of volleyball shitposts on here recently is insane. go back to G&E if you're gonna discuss RPS, seriously. We're not a celebrity worship board.

36: Anonymous

>> 24

kagehina counts as BL though

41: Anonymous

>> 36

how many of those threads were actually kagehina discussion threads??? they're literally all shitposts or weird thirst threads or terrible memes.

50: Anonymous

Am I the only one who doesn't actually find it that funny...? Like, some of the stuff he says is kind of cringey, but I've seen stuff wayyyyy cringier before on Twitter. This is weak.

54: Anonymous

>> 50

Anons just LOVE kicking people off their pedestals, y'know. Kageyama's the rising star of Japanese volleyball right now, so it's probably 10000x more satisfying to make fun of him than some other nameless schmuck on the internet. It doesn't help that he keeps giving them the reaction they want either.

Besides, it's the holiday season and everyone's bored.

67: Anonymous

>> 61

The line between love and hate is blurred O innocent anon. An anti is only one half-step away from becoming a stan.

75: Anonymous

I feel like of bad for him www

82: Anonymous

>> 75

why? there's no such thing as bad publicity.

86: Anonymous

Kageyama-senshu does have fans, okay? I'm one of them, I've been to all of the Adlers' games in Miyagi. You can make fun of him all you want, but it doesn't erase the fact that he's one of Japan's best players.

90: Anonymous

>> 86

don't get your panties in a twist

95: Anonymous

Whatever, page me when Kageyama starts fucking dudes for real. Hopefully he'll get involved in a gay scandal or something. That'd be exciting.

96: Anonymous

>> 86

Why are all of his fans so defensive? He's a public figure. If he doesn't want to get made fun of, then he shouldn't say dumb shit online. He's a grown-ass man, he should know better.

  
  
  


***

Tobio winced at the sensation of the volleyball in Hinata's duffel bag digging into his hip. "Watch it," he said, rearranging the strap of the bag on Hinata's shoulders so it was no longer tangled.

"Oh. Sorry." Hinata glanced down at Tobio's hands, then back up at his face and did a double-take. "When'd you put a face mask on? We're not that famous. Don't let the popularity get to your head, Kageyama!"

"You're the only one who has to worry about that," Tobio shot back. He grabbed the back of Hinata's hood and pulled it over his head, making him stumble and laugh. "Your ego's already taller than you, and it's still growing."

Hinata's jaw dropped. "That was a low blow!" he yelled, launching himself at Tobio, who cursed as Hinata's arms tightened around his neck in a death grip.

"Get off me, we're in public," he said, shoving at Hinata's head half-heartedly.

"No one's even asked me to film a commercial yet!"

"We filmed one last month!"

"That was different, the whole team was there! But you got a _solo_ appearance." Letting go of Tobio, Hinata dropped back to the ground on the balls of his feet. "Ah, I wish they'd hire _me_ for curry commercials. I bet I'm a better actor than you are."

He was probably right, but Tobio wasn't about to admit it.

"And I don't look nearly as scary as you do."

"I don't look scary."

"Yeah you do." Hinata laced their fingers together with a smile. "It's okay though, I know you're an idiot at heart."

He tried to shake him off, but Hinata held on stubbornly. "Someone will see."

Hinata stuck out his tongue at him. "You're so paranoid sometimes! It's dark and no one's watching." 

Someone's always watching, he wanted to argue, but the words evaporated from the tip of his tongue when Hinata gave his hand a tight squeeze. All he could do was squeeze back helplessly, and pretend his heart wasn't leaping out of his throat.

Hinata swung their arms together as they walked down the glimmering streets of Tokyo, humming some sort of tune under their breath. They got distracted by one of the displays, which was playing a clip from the Asian Qualification Tournament on loop.

"Wow," breathed Hinata, watching as the player onscreen blew through the blockers and scored. "Look at that spike! Did you see that?! The ball just--"

"Good evening," a smooth female voice interrupted, startling them both. She was holding a microphone in one hand, and a cameraman was hovering a few steps behind her carrying professional-looking equipment on one shoulder.

Tobio took a step backwards and quickly let go of Hinata's hand, cursing inwardly at their indiscretion. Hopefully, they hadn't caught him and Hinata holding hands on film, or there would be no way they could continue keeping their relationship secret.

"Good evening!" Hinata said cheerfully as if he hadn't been seconds from being outed on national television.

"Evening," Tobio added, considerably less cheerfully.

"My name is Yamada Teruko, and I'm a television host from TV Tokyo..."

As Hinata chatted away with the TV host about one thing or another, Tobio discretely slipped his hand into the pocket of his shorts. If he curled his fingers into a fist, he could still feel the warmth of Hinata's smaller hand against his in the middle of his palm.

A few days later, Tobio unexpectedly stumbled across the video of them while browsing volleyball news on Hinata's laptop. The caption beneath his face onscreen boldly read: KAGEYAMA TOBIO, National Volleyball Team Member. The sight hit him like a bucket of cold water, and his stomach dropped out from under him.

"Aren't they supposed to censor your names and faces in these shows?" he demanded, sliding into the kitchen in his socks. The plastic of the laptop screen creaked ominously in his fingers as he shoved it in front of Hinata.

Hinata looked unfazed. "I guess. Maybe they just forgot? _Woah_ , I actually look pretty photogenic in this shot."

"They're not supposed to forget."

Dropping his spatula into the pan, Hinata tugged him closer and leaned in to take a look at the video onscreen. "I dunno, your hair looks fine to me. What's the matter?"

"I'm not Oikawa-san, I don't care what my hair looks like. But they were supposed to censor our faces like they always do, with the little black bars," he said, frustrated. "I wouldn't have agreed to be recorded if they weren't going to do it."

Hinata opened his mouth to say something, but he shut it with a frown after he got a good look at Tobio's face. "I can go ask our assistant coach about it tomorrow," he declared, patting Tobio on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure they didn't catch anything on camera. And I'll kill you if you break my laptop, by the way."

"Not if I kill you first," Tobio said absently.

He made his way back to where he was sitting on the couch and set the laptop carefully down on his lap. He dug out his earphones from the pocket of Hinata's jacket, plugged them in, and hit Play.

 _This is just to prove Hinata wrong,_ he reminded himself. _I don't actually care._

At the 4:17 mark, just as the shot cut towards their figures, he could see them holding hands in the reflection of the store window. Tobio replayed those three seconds of footage over and over again until Hinata set off the fire alarm with his stir fry and distracted him.

***

Tobio admired Oikawa's setting. He had encountered many strong players since his middle school days, some of them more skilled and more talented, but a part of him would always look up to Oikawa as an opponent to defeat. (Not that he'd ever say so in interviews; Oikawa already had enough ammunition against him.)

Sitting on the bench during break time with his water bottle cradled between his knees, Tobio watched as Miya picked Hinata up by the back of his uniform and manoeuvred him into a bridal carry as the others laughed and told him to cut it out. Hinata yelped in surprise and flailed in the air as their other teammates laughed and Coach yelled at them to stop fooling around. He didn't get how other people could be so comfortable with Hinata; they were always throwing casual arms over his shoulders, ruffling his hair affectionately or making him laugh. None of them seemed worried that someone might point fingers at them and call them names, or try to kick them off the team for being in love with someone they didn't approve of. Obviously they wouldn't be, not when they had nothing to hide. Tobio could never be so open with touching Hinata in public, even if he wanted to be. Which he didn't. Hinata thrived on the attention; even as he grumbled about how he was _not that short!_ , he couldn't keep the bright grin off his face. 

He wasn't jealous of someone like _Miya Atsumu_ , Tobio reminded himself. But he couldn't seem to look away.

Their eyes met just then, and Hinata gave him a tiny wave and a wink from where he was hidden behind Miya's back. Tobio looked down, his face heating.

Someone sat down beside him on the bench with a loud exhale, and Tobio glanced up at the sudden noise. It was Oikawa.

"You're staring over there with a pretty scary expression on your face," Oikawa noted, taking a shallow swig of his water bottle.

"I'm not staring."

"Don't lie, Tobio-chan! How very dishonourable of you." Oikawa glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and smirked at whatever he saw on his face. "What, don't tell me you're jealous?"

"I'm not."

Ignoring his protests, Oikawa clenched his fist with an excited gleam in his eye. "Then go out there and assert dominance! Take off your shirt and let your gross sweaty pheromones sweep chibi-chan off his feet! Go punch Atsumu-chan in the face and show him who's boss--"

"Oikawa, stop gaslighting Kageyama!" one of their teammates called out from the sidelines.

"I'm not gaslighting him!" Oikawa huffed, crossing his arms and sounding offended. The others laughed in response. "I'm just having a heartfelt talk with Tobio-chan, a friendly conversation between respected senpai and cute kouhai--"

"Somehow I don't believe a single word that comes out of your mouth..." "Don't fall for it, Kageyama!"

Before Oikawa could defend his reputation further, their assistant coach blew his whistle and called them back to practice. The rest of the day passed in a blur; the Olympics were approaching fast, and their training regimen had increased in intensity in preparation. After practice ended and they got changed, Tobio headed out the door alongside a small group of their teammates and Hinata, who clung to his arm and prattled on about how practice went today. He didn't catch half of what Hinata said, too preoccupied with the thoughts in his head.

Something had been bothering him this whole week, and he was going to put an end to it now before it interfered with practice. Oikawa was one of the few people he knew was in a similar situation as him, so he was really the only person he could talk to about this.

"You guys go on ahead," he said when they reached the front entrance, stopping in his tracks. "I think I forgot something in the changeroom."

Hinata looked puzzled by the obvious excuse, but he knew better than to ask why Tobio wasn't going home with him in front of the others. His other teammates didn't seem to recognize the lie for what it was (or were too nice to call him out for it) and bade him goodbye. Ducking out of sight behind a pillar, Tobio waited until the group disappeared down the hallway, then pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text to Hinata: _I'll see you at home. I need to talk to Oikawa-san about something._

Hinata's reply was almost instantaneous: _OK!_ Then: _Don't take the wrong train home again, you'll be late for dinner!_

 _Shut up_ , sent Tobio. He tucked his phone back in his pocket with a smile.

He found Oikawa near the main exit of the training centre, talking to two of their teammates about something and laughing. Tobio waited until he waved them goodbye and walked off, humming a tuneless song under his breath, before materializing out of the shadows and nearly startling a scream out of Oikawa.

"Are you stalking me?" demanded Oikawa, clutching his bag in front of his chest. "I always knew you were jealous of my good looks, Tobio-chan, but this is going too far. Besides, I already have Iwa-chan!"

Tobio bowed at him. "Sorry for startling you."

"I wasn't startled!"

"Can I ask you something in private, Oikawa-san?" Tobio chanced a glance upwards. "It won't take long."

Oikawa didn't look impressed. He slung his bag over one shoulder and crossed his arms, tapping his foot against the tile in an exaggerated show of impatience. "I'm a very busy man, you know. You have to book an appointment with me at least two weeks in advance for a private meeting, and even then I can't guarantee your chances."

"Please, it's important." Tobio dipped into another bow, for extra sincerity. He shuffled his feet so they were pressed together, and took a deep breath in. "I need advice. About Hinata."

"While I do appreciate the acknowledgement that I'm superior in every way to you, I have no intention of actually giving you advice. Especially if it has to do with chibi-chan. I'd rather throw myself off a cliff than hear about your failed sex life~"

"It's not about that," Tobio protested loudly, the tips of his ears burning red. "I'll buy you coffee. Please." 

Oikawa narrowed his eyes speculatively, before pulling out his phone with a dramatic sigh. Tobio tried not to look too triumphant; he knew Oikawa would never turn down an opportunity to take monetary advantage of him. "All right, fine. You have exactly fifteen minutes to get this 'talk' of yours over with. I'm timing you."

"Seriously?" Oikawa turned the can of coffee around in his hand and squinted at the label in disgust. "You're treating me to _vending machine coffee_? Just how low do you think my standards are?"

"You said I only had fifteen minutes, and this was the closest place that sold coffee," Tobio replied. He waited until Oikawa popped open the tab on the can before clearing his throat and muttering, "So, uh, my anniversary with Hinata is coming up next Wednesday."

Oikawa's eyes widened in surprise, and Tobio barely dodged the mouthful of coffee he spat out in time. "Wha--you actually know what an anniversary is?!"

"Of course I do," said Tobio, a little confused why Oikawa looked so surprised. "But I don't know what to get him for it. I read online that your 5th anniversary is kind of important, so I want to get it right."

Oikawa still hadn't quite recovered from the shock. "Did you get abducted by aliens? Are you sure you're not possessed?"

"No?" Tobio tucked his hands into the pocket of his sweatpants and scuffed his shoe against the tile. "We were in a long-distance relationship before so I--"

"Stop." Oikawa held up a hand in front of Tobio's face. "I am _not_ going to stand here and listen to you blab about your love life, I literally give zero fucks. Minus infinity fucks. DON'T open your mouth, I'm not done yet! Anyway, please tell me you at least have some sort of plan in your head already."

He did, actually. Brainstorming possible gifts for Hinata was practically a daily routine by now, and he secretly wrote about it every day in his training journal whenever Hinata wasn't paying attention. "I was going to take him to see the Tokyo Interhigh Preliminaries next Sunday."

"You're taking him to see a high school volleyball match for your anniversary? And not even the finals, the preliminaries?" Oikawa asked in disbelief.

Tobio stared back at him, confused why he didn't agree that it was a good idea, and Oikawa nearly doubled over in laughter. "I can't believe--what even--this is the best thing I've ever heard--"

"I was being serious," said Tobio, scowling.

Oikawa wiped a stray tear from his eye and straightened up, dusting off imaginary lint from his shoulders. "Honestly, Tobio-chan, you make it too easy sometimes. Thank god you have such a reliable and experienced senpai like Oikawa-san to guide you, where would you even be without me? First off, you are not taking him to a high school match for your 5th anniversary. Do you even know how ridiculous that sounds?"

"Why not?"

"Why do you think?" Oikawa gestured wildly at him. "We literally practice six hours a day six days a week, and now you want to spend your day off watching amateur volleyball? You'd be better off watching recordings of the world championships at home, at least that'd actually be useful."

"Should I look up the world championships recordings then?"

"NO!" Oikawa shook his head in despair and dragged his hand down his face. "You're hopeless, Tobio-chan," he sighed. "I've seen shitposts on anonymous forums that were more romantic than you. Luckily for you though, your boyfriend's just as much of an idiot as you are." 

"I'm not an idiot."

Just then, the timer Oikawa's phone went off and his face brightened with the distinctive look of a released prisoner. "Time's up. Better luck next time, Tobio-chan!"

"Wait! What did you mean by 'anons'? How am I losing to them?"

"Go look it up yourself!"

Before he could say something else, Oikawa rounded the corner at breakneck speed and disappeared out the glass doors with a bang. Scowling, Tobio turned on his phone and pulled up his web browser with a vengeance. If anything, he was known for his competitive streak.

***

The next day, Tobio made up some excuse about forgetting his phone in his locker (ignoring Miya's taunts about early-onset Alzheimer's all the while) and managed to convince Hinata to head home first again. He stopped by the sports shop on his way back and picked up a brand new volleyball. He almost asked if he could get it wrapped with a bow or something, but judging by the long-suffering expression on the clerk's face, it probably wasn't a good idea to ask.

Dinner was cooking on the stove by the time he got home, and Hinata was lounging on his stomach on their bed, scrolling through his phone. Standing by the bedroom door, Tobio took out the volleyball from his bag and eyed it. He thought about doing a jump serve or something to make it more formal, but that probably wasn't a good idea.

"Hinata."

Hinata glanced over his shoulder and beamed. "Welcome back!"

Tobio lobbed the volleyball at him, and Hinata rolled over onto his back and caught it out of the air in one fluid motion.

"This is for you," he said, looking anywhere but at Hinata's face. "For our anniversary."

Hinata spun the ball around in his hands. "But...isn't our anniversary next week?"

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you supposed to give me the gift on the day of the anniversary then?" Hinata asked slowly.

"My parents always gave me my birthday present and my Christmas present on the same day," Tobio said defensively. His stomach sank. Shit, maybe the idea wasn't as good as it sounded in his head. "I still have the receipt, if you want to return it--"

"Just kidding." Hinata flashed a bright grin at him. "Haha, did you fall for it? Were you worried I was mad? Did you think I wouldn't like your present? How _cute,_ Tobio."

"Shut up!" Tobio lunged at him, but Hinata just laughed and rolled out of the way. He was getting too good at these evasive manoeuvres, damn him.

A warm hand brushed against the side of his neck, and he leaned into the touch subconsciously. Hinata shifted closer until they were lying face to face in bed. Tobio could feel the soft exhale of his breath against his lips.

"You're cute," whispered Hinata, pressing their foreheads together.

Tobio's face scrunched up in embarrassment, and he ran his thumb over Hinata's cheek, hard, just to hear him yelp in surprise. "...Don't say stuff like that."

"Why not?" Hinata blinked innocently. "I'm just telling the truth. Thanks for the present, Tobio!"

"So you like it?"

"Of course I like it!" Hinata beamed at him. There was a slight flush on his cheeks.

Heat pooled in his stomach, and Tobio couldn't resist blurting out, "Do you want to do some passing practice?"

Hinata looked startled by the sudden suggestion, but his surprise quickly morphed into a bright smile. "Sure!"

After a few regular passes, Hinata couldn't resist and spiked the ball against the wall separating their bedroom from the kitchen. The items on the wardrobe shook from the force of it, and Tobio winced slightly at the _poing_ sound the ball made as it slammed into the wall before bouncing back into Hinata's hand.

"The neighbours are going to complain about the noise."

Hinata didn’t seem all that bothered. "They live on the opposite side of the room, so as long as I don't spike it against that wall then we're good."

That sort of made sense. "Okay."

The volleyball flew through the air in a perfect, high arc. As Hinata raised his arms to catch it, the collar of his sweatshirt shifted, exposing the pale curve of his neck to his gaze. All the traces of the tan he picked up in Brazil, during their time apart, were gone. It was like he had never left in the first place.

Tobio intercepted the ball before it could land back in Hinata's hands and tossed it aside, where it rolled on the floor and disappeared underneath their bed.

"What are you--"

Tobio shut him up with a kiss.

"......"

"......"

"W-Wait, do you smell smoke?"

"What?"

"AHHHHHHHH--"

***

"You're free this evening, right?" asked Hinata, falling into step beside him as Tobio stuffed his towel into his duffel bag.

"We do everything together, you know my schedule. Why do you even need to ask?"

"Just making sure! I made a reservation at this restaurant Oikawa-san recommended for tonight. He says he brings his dates there all the time and it's really nice."

What was he even talking about? "Why are we eating out when there's--oh." _Oh_.

"Yeah, 'oh'," Hinata parroted with a snicker. "It's our 5th anniversary today, idiot."

Kageyama grabbed a handful of Hinata's hair and tugged at it half-heartedly. "Don't call me an idiot, dumbass. I knew that."

"I'll meet you at the restaurant at 7 then," Hinata continued, ignoring the hand in his hair. "You can head home first, I need to stay for a bit and talk to Coach about something. See ya!"

He bounded off down the hallway, leaving Tobio staring after him and trying not to flush. He made his way back to the locker room, where the volume was rapidly approaching levels that could be considered noise pollution. He was immediately greeted by the familiar sound of Miya's obnoxious laugh as he pushed open the door and entered. Tobio stepped over Bokuto lying on his stomach on the ground, wove past Oikawa texting away furiously on his phone, and sat down on the bench beside Ushijima, who greeted him with a nod. Tobio nodded back at him. Nothing more needed to be said.

"--don't get why he's so pleased with it. He got a _volleyball_ as a present," Miya was saying as he towelled his hair dry. "Isn't that the lamest thing you've ever heard?"

"At least he has a girlfriend."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Miya narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I could totally get a girlfriend if I wanted to. I just don't want to be tied down in a relationship when I'm still young."

"Don't cry when your brother gets married before you then."

"As if I'm going to let that happen."

" _I_ wouldn't mind getting a volleyball as an anniversary present."

"That's exactly why you're still single, Kourai-kun."

"Hey!"

Tobio froze in the middle of opening his locker as realization dawned on him. Wait, they were talking about _Hinata_.

"I thought girls were supposed to be better at the romance thing than guys," someone chimed in. 

"Hmm," said Miya.

"Did you really think Hinata's girlfriend would be the romantic or girly type? I bet his girlfriend is just as much of a volleyball junkie as he is."

"Oh. True."

"How do you guys even find the time to date someone during volleyball season?" one of their teammates complained. "My last girlfriend broke up with me because I'm too boring. According to her, all I ever do is practice or sleep."

Oikawa turned off his phone and slipped it into his pocket. "It's all about maintaining a sense of romantic surprise in everyday life. I can send you tips if you want," he said airily, swinging his bag over his shoulder with a grin. "Anyway, I'm off, everyone! I've got a big date tonight."

His announcement was met with a chorus of groans.

"Bye!" "Wait, are you serious about the tips thing? I'll actually text you." "Tooru, you lucky dog!" "Please tell me this is the same girlfriend as the one you went on a date with last week."

"Don't be late for practice tomorrow," said Ushijima.

Oikawa gave him the middle finger before disappearing out the door.

"You too, Miya," said Ushijima, turning to look pointedly at the man in question.

"I would never dream of being late for practice. What kind of person do you think I am?" Miya placed his hand over his heart with a solemn expression. He caught Tobio's eye from across the room and grinned. "Actually, shouldn't you be more worried about--"

Tobio picked up his bag and headed to the door. "Thank you for your hard work," he said, waving goodbye to his teammates.

The sun was setting as he boarded the train back home. Tobio stared out the window, watching the scenery rush by in blurs of blue and black. He was still internally reeling at the revelation that Hinata had told someone about the present he got him. It was like catching a jump serve in the face. What did it all mean? Was he secretly complaining to Miya about him? Did this mean he was...unhappy?

No, Hinata wasn't the kind of person who would pretend to like something and then complain about it behind his back. He knew he was probably overanalyzing the situation, but he couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious. Not that he cared what Miya Atsumu thought of him.

The train pulled into the station, and Tobio followed the stream of passengers out the sliding doors. The warm summer air hit him in the face like a cross shot as he walked the rest of the way home. Something bright caught his eye, and he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk in front of the window of a flower shop. The passerby around him shot him disgruntled looks as they stepped around him, but he didn't notice. 

'~Beautiful Bouquets for the Loved One You Cherish~', the sign read in front of the shop read. A smiling man and woman were holding hands on the poster in the window, matching rings glimmering on their fingers.

After staring at the sign for a minute, Tobio pushed open the glass door of the shop.

"Welcome!"

Of course Hinata would be late for the reservation he made. Tobio picked at the bread rolls in the basket, wondering if it was considered acceptable to eat them all before Hinata even arrived. The waiter hovering nearby shot him a vaguely disapproving look, so he guessed the answer was no.

The few diners sitting near his corner booth were all couples. There was only one other single man in this area of the restaurant, a tired-looking young man who was slumped in his chair typing away on his phone. Tobio adjusted the collar of his shirt a little self-consciously.

"Sorry I'm late!" a breathless voice called out from behind him.

Hinata's hair was getting kind of long again, and the light strands stood out against the white of his shirt collar. He was wearing a suit. It seemed obvious in retrospect that he’d dress appropriately for the occasion, but the sight of Hinata not wearing shorts for the first time in weeks still threw him off guard.

Tobio swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "Your tie clashes with your hair,” he said.

Hinata stared at him in disbelief. "What did you say? I even bothered to get properly dressed for you, do you know how much I hate wearing formal stuff--"

"You look nice, though."

Hinata shut his mouth with a click. His cheeks coloured, and he glanced off to the side with a pleased expression. "...That's more like it." He pulled out the chair across from Tobio and sat down, letting out a loud exhale. "You're not allowed to make fun of my tie when I picked it out to match with you."

The tie was a midnight blue, with faint black stripes that shone under the dim lighting of the restaurant when Hinata squirmed in his seat. _Oh_ , thought Tobio. Now it was his turn to blush and look away. The two of them sat there avoiding each other's eyes for a good ten minutes before the waiter appeared and interrupted the stalemate for them.

Hinata managed to say the English names of the courses without stumbling, which meant that he had actually done research about the restaurant. Damn it. Tobio's hand clenched around the bouquet hidden under the tablecloth on his lap. There was no way he was going to let himself be outdone, not after he went out of his way to ask Oikawa and the people on the forums for advice.

Hinata was staring at him with his chin in his hands. "It's okay, I know you're just embarrassed," he said in a sing-song voice. 

The wrapping paper of the bouquet crinkled as he uncrossed his legs under the table. "I got you something too."

"I know. The volleyball last week."

"No, I meant I got you something today." Tobio pulled the bouquet of roses out from under the table cloth in one swift movement and slapped it onto the table, rattling the cutlery. A few stray petals gently floated down from mid-air and landed on Hinata's plate. 

"...You've never gotten me flowers before," Hinata said slowly, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, because you were in Brazil. What was I supposed to do, air deliver them?"

"1, 2...are there a dozen here? Did you get me a dozen red roses?"

"It was what the shop owner recommended," Tobio replied. "He said twelve was a good number. It's supposed to represent...uh...something."

Hinata traced his finger around the velvety edge of one of the bigger flowers. “Thanks, Tobio,” he said. There was a soft edge to his voice that made his cheeks heat. “I’m really happy.”

It was way too hot in this restaurant, damn it. His palms were sweaty, and he discretely wiped them on his dress pants. He felt like someone had torn his heart out of his chest and jump served it into his face. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears as he glared at the leaves of the potted plant nearby.

Hinata always blurted out whatever was on his mind without thinking about what effect his words might have on people. It was both the worst and the best part about him.

"I need to use the washroom," Hinata suddenly blurted out, startling him out of his reverie.

Tobio paused. He took in the way Hinata's hands were picking at the tablecloth, and how he shifted restlessly in his seat. "Are you that nervous?" he asked bewilderedly.

"I'm not nervous! I just really have to go!" Hinata spluttered. His face was so red it looked nearly luminescent in the flickering candlelight.

That broke the weird spell that had been hanging over them. No matter how much time they had spent apart, Hinata was still the same boy he had first met in middle school. Tobio struggled not to laugh out loud as the nearby patrons glanced at them curiously. “You’re just like a little kid.”

Hinata balled up his napkin and threw it at him, but Tobio blocked the toss easily. "It's not funny! You know I get nervous easily and no one's ever gotten me flowers before and you just had to go out and make this big romantic gesture that isn't like you at all. ARGH!" He buried his face in his hands.

"So now it's my fault?"

"Shut up, you won't outdo me next time! I’ll definitely sweep you off your feet!" 

Tobio smirked at him. "Your birthday's coming up next, so I’ll still be in the lead. It’s 1657 to 1655 now." 

"You won't be in the lead for long!" Hinata threatened, scooting his chair back and stomping off to the bathroom.

Tobio cleared his throat and tried to school his expression back to indifference, but he couldn't get his face to stop smiling. In the end, he had to resort to hiding his mouth in his hand in case someone looked over and noticed him making a weird face. Thankfully, the appearance of someone familiar quickly wiped the smile off his face.

"Yoo-hoo, Tobio-chan. Fancy meeting you here." Oikawa loomed over their table, fully decked out in a flashy suit and a haze of expensive cologne. He even had designer sunglasses perched on his head even though it was 7 pm at night. "Having dinner with a sponsor?" His gaze landed on the roses, and he gasped in mock offence. "What are those for? Don't tell me you're trying to seduce your way to another commercial, because that's unfair competition and I can't believe you'd stoop that low!"

"It's my anniversary with Hinata today," Tobio replied, feeling a little self-conscious about the bouquet on the table. Was it too late to hide it under the tablecloth? Hinata might get mad if he accidentally crushed the flowers, though. "They're for him."

Oikawa's jaw dropped. "Your anniversary is on Iwa-chan's birthday? You can't! I won't let it happen!"

"What?"

"No, I won't let you guys ruin Iwa-chan's birthday for him!" Oikawa said dramatically as he paced back and forth on the spot. "Iwa-chan graced us on earth with his presence on this exact day, and now you've gone ahead and made it all about you and chibi-chan's weird sex life! I bet you're doing this on purpose."

Even Tobio had to admit Oikawa was being ridiculous. "You're being ridiculous."

"You're stealing Iwa-chan's spotlight!"

"I don't think Iwaizumi-san cares."

Oikawa paused in his pacing. "All right, yeah, Iwa-chan _is_ probably too dense to pick up on the nuance. But I care on Iwa-chan's behalf, and I have to say I'm very disappointed in you, Tobio-chan."

"Okay," Tobio said expressionlessly.

Before he could stop him, Oikawa's hand darted out and snatched up the bouquet from the table. "Wow, Tobio-chan, a dozen red roses? Really?" he whistled. "Gaudy and uninspired, but I'll give you extra points for effort since I'm such a nice senpai. Remember to pick better flowers nice time, roses are so outdated~"

"Hinata said he liked it," Tobio retorted, feeling petulant.

"You and chibi-chan don't know anything about romance," scolded Oikawa, setting the bouquet back down on the table. "It's supposed to come naturally to you, not artificially manufactured by contrived gifts and stereotypical environments!"

"But you're celebrating Iwaizumi-san's birthday here too."

"That's different!" Oikawa said, indignant. He cleared his throat and smoothed a hand through his hair, glancing around the restaurant to make sure no one saw him lose his composure. "Anyway, let's pretend we never saw each other here, shall we? Have fun on your date, Tobio-chan! But not _too_ much fun, we have morning practice."

Tobio spluttered at the insinuation and tried desperately to come up with a dignified reply, but Oikawa had already sauntered off. So preoccupied as they were in their argument, neither of them noticed the flashing black lens of a phone camera pointed their way.


	6. Curtain Call

Tobio wasn't a big fan of social media. It seemed like a huge waste of time, and he had no desire to tell the world what he was doing every hour of the day. Especially if the answer was, 90% of the time, either volleyball or Hinata.

He had scrolled through the list of boards on HQ Forums out of morbid curiosity and had eventually come across one called Let There Be Light. It reminded him a little bit of Hinata, and that was what prompted him to click on it.

The first post on the board was confusingly titled "Oikawa Tooru admits defeat". It was so jarring to see the name of someone he knew pop up in the middle of nowhere that he immediately clicked on it. He found himself staring at a picture of Oikawa's exhausted face photoshopped onto some random man's naked torso, with the caption "I can't take another load~!" splayed underneath in bold text. Tobio stared at the picture blankly for a few seconds, until it suddenly _clicked_ and he closed his entire web browser in his panic to get away.

He stopped exploring the forum after that incident. There were some things you just can't unsee, and he really didn't want to find out if people made pictures of Hinata or him like that too. He was better off not knowing, for his own peace of mind.

Hinata, on the other hand, loved Twitter. He was always posting selfies or pictures of stray cats on his verified account, and he even had a sockpuppet (called @wingsofdrakness, a relic from his high school days and embarrassingly misspelled) dedicated to retweeting fan art. Tobio was banned from following the sockpuppet account ("It's a SECRET account for a REASON!"), but sometimes he checked up on it just so he could make fun of Hinata's taste in anime girls.

Other than that, Tobio didn't really use Twitter unless he was informed on no uncertain terms that he should be retweeting whatever new bullshit the PR department had come up with this time.

All things considered, Tobio nearly choked to death on his glass of milk when he saw the shocking number of app notifications on his phone on Sunday morning.

He opened the app curiously, and his heart stuttered to a stop when he saw the picture splattered across his new feed. It was definitely mocking him. 

"Hinata, do you have Miya-san's contact information?" he bit out through gritted teeth.

Hinata looked up at him from where he was lying upside down on the couch. "Yeah I do, why?"

"Pass me your phone." He caught the phone Hinata lobbed at him and navigated to Hinata's extensive list of contacts. He located Miya's name after a few scrolls and composed a new message to him.

**Atsumu-senpai**

<< 11:20 am | This is Kageyama. Please delete the tweet.

>> 11:24 am | what's up

<< 11:24 am | Please delete the tweet you posted about me and Oikawa-san.

>> 11:27 am | have I ever told you I really like your curry commercial?

<< 11:27 am | I'm serious. Please delete the tweet.

>> 11:35 am | eh, alright

"What did you message him about?"

Tobio took a deep breath in, trying to stay calm in spite of the bubbling fury inside his chest. "Did you not check Twitter this morning?"

"Nah, I'm taking a break from it. One of my favourite characters got killed off last night and everyone's crying about it online right now." Hinata blinked at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

Somehow he couldn't seem to get the words out when he was looking at him like that, relaxed and open. Hinata knew how much things like that bothered him, and he didn't want him to worry. Or think that Tobio was weak for caring about what idiots online said about him. Besides, it'll all go away eventually. It had to.

"...It's nothing."

It didn't just go away.

"I'm sorry," Ushijima told him during practice on Monday.

Tobio turned to look at him in surprise. While he and Ushijima were on good terms, they didn't talk that much outside of volleyball. He had no idea how Ushijima might have wronged him. "For what?"

Ushijima furrowed his brows in concentration. "I shouldn't have spoken with that reporter. I wasn't aware of how my words might complicate the situation further, and I want to apologize."

"It's fine," said Tobio. He had gotten a lot better at dealing with situations like these over the years; being with someone as outgoing as Hinata really rubbed off on him. "Don't take it to heart, it's the reporter's fault for cornering you."

Ushijima made a 'hmm' noise in acknowledgement. His fingers clenched around the water bottle in his hand, and he almost looked kind of...nervous? Except Ushijima never looked nervous, not even in matches. "Thank you. There's one more thing I wanted to say."

Tobio braced himself--for what, he wasn't sure. "Yes?"

"I don't know if the coach has already spoken to you about this," Ushijima said in a low voice, "but as your V. League teammate, I feel that it is my duty to give you some precautionary advice."

"Yes?"

"Please avoid having penetrative sex before matches."

Tobio froze. His towel slipped off his shoulders and landed on the ground with a soft thump, alongside his broken dignity. "What?"

"We need both you and Oikawa in top form for our matches," Ushijima continued, oblivious to how Tobio's entire worldview was shattering to pieces. "As such, it would be best if you refrained from strenuous extracurricular activities the night before. This is just a suggestion and ultimately it's your choice, but I heard there might be tearing..."

It was as if he was having an out-of-body experience. Tobio could barely feel the ground under his feet; all he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears, and all he could see was Ushijima's furrowed brows and his serious expression. "I'm not sleeping with Oikawa-san."

Ushijima's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "I see, so you're saving yourselves for marriage. That's very responsible of you."

It was getting hard to breathe; his throat felt like it was slowly closing off. Was this what it was like to go into shock? "We're not getting married!" he choked out.

"Times will change, Kageyama." Ushijima clapped his hand on his shoulder in what was probably meant to be a comforting gesture, but Tobio just felt numb. "Have patience. I'm rooting for you. That is all, sorry for taking up your time."

Tobio stood rooted to the spot, watching as Ushijima headed off in Oikawa's direction with a determined expression. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Oikawa sneered as Ushijima approached him, but the sneer on his face was quickly replaced by confusion, then surprise, then mortification, then trembling fury. Oikawa's enraged screech echoed through the large gymnasium: "FOR THE LAST TIME, I'M NOT SLEEPING WITH HIM!"

Someone slung their arm over Tobio’s shoulders in an over-familiar way, and he didn't even need to look up to know who it was.

“Tooru-kun’s so dramatic, isn't he?” said Miya, shaking his head in dismay. “So, how are you holding up?”

“I’m fine.” Tobio stepped to the side to try to shake off Miya’s arm, but Miya matched his movements with a lazy grin and didn't let go.

“Thanks, by the way," Miya said in a low voice.

Tobio stopped in his tracks. “For what?”

The grin he got in response immediately set off all his alarms. “See, Samu and I’ve got this little game we play called Fantasy Pixiv League, and I won against him last night thanks to you guys. Remind me to treat you and Tooru-kun to lunch sometime, ‘kay?”

Tobio had vaguely heard of Pixiv before from posts on Hinata's second Twitter feed and his brief stint on HQ forums, but he had no idea what this had to do with anything. “What’s Fantasy Pixiv...?”

"Fantasy Pixiv League. It's like fantasy sports, but with Pixiv tags. Y'know, like fan art."

"..." He wasn't going to listen to this bullshit.

Miya seemed to interpret his silence as an invitation to continue. "The key to winning in gambling is to take risks. The bigger the risk, the bigger the payoff. Samu didn't think you guys could take down the giant, but I had faith in you and Tooru-kun--"

Hinata was kneeling down on one knee on the other side of the gym, tying his shoelaces. He seemed to feel the weight of Tobio's gaze on him and glanced up. Their eyes met, and Tobio looked away.

On Tuesday, their assistant coach announced that they would all be having lunch together in one of the conference rooms as part of a team bonding experience. When Tobio arrived there with Hinata (and his lunch), he was greeted with the ominous sight of a PowerPoint presentation and a smiling staff member from the Public Relations department.

"Seeing as you guys are currently representing Japan on the world stage," the man said brightly, "your coach and my department agreed that it would be beneficial for the team to learn some tips and tricks on how to manage your social media accounts. Now, this isn't a lecture but an interactive tutorial, so feel free to interrupt me with questions at any time."

"You should take notes, Atsumu-chan," Oikawa whispered, cupping his hand around his mouth.

"Says the person who regularly retweets curry memes on Twitter."

"I'm just showing my support for my dear underclassman. Platonically!"

"This is a team experience, everyone," the PR rep said loudly, interrupting their whispered conversation. His smile didn't even waver, which was the scariest part of this whole business. "We're working together here, not against each other. Now, could someone dim the lights please?"

Sitting around the table in the meeting room, Bokuto was napping with his eyes open, Oikawa was texting furiously under the table, Miya was filing his nails, and Ushijima, ever the responsible adult, stood up and turned the lights off.

The PR rep cleared his throat and clicked to the next slide. "Let's start with a few basic definitions..."

The presentation was terribly boring, just like all of the government-mandated workshops on public relations usually were. Still, Tobio couldn't help but stiffen every time the PR rep looked his way. Luckily, Hoshiumi kept raising his hand and interrupting the presentation to argue with him about irrelevant details, which diverted some of the uncomfortable attention away from him.

"...and this concludes the presentation section of the workshop. Thank you for listening. Are there any questions?"

Hoshiumi started to raise his hand again, but Miya forced it down for him.

"Great! We'll be moving on to some simple group exercises next then."

"I love group exercises," said Miya, not smiling.

"That's great to hear! Could someone turn--thank you, Ushijima-san. I have a little worksheet here that I'm going to pass around--"

Just then, Oikawa's phone rang. The obnoxiously cheerful music cut through the gloomy atmosphere like a hot J-pop knife through boring butter. Even Bokuto stirred in his sleep and let out a loud snore.

"Sorry for the interruption," said Oikawa, getting to his feet with an apologetic grimace. "It's my childhood friend; Iwa-chan's boss's wife eloped with her barber and he's _inconsolable_ right now. Who knows how upset he'll get if I don't take his call? So if you'll excuse me..."

The whole team groaned. By now, they were intimately familiar with Oikawa's childhood friend's endless misfortunes, which all seemed to occur at very convenient times for Oikawa. One time Iwaizumi's neighbour's dog, his cousin's brother-in-law's aunt, and his pet fish all fell sick within the same week, and Oikawa, ever the bleeding heart, had requested absence from several workplace sensitivity workshops in order to hold his hand through the painful ordeals. Tobio was pretty sure Iwaizumi and Oikawa didn't own any pets, but Oikawa had glared and mouthed 'shut up' at him before he could point out the inconsistencies.

The PR rep glanced between Oikawa and their assistant coach with a hesitant frown. "I guess that's all right, we've already covered the basics in the presentation, so you won't be missing much. I hope your friend feels better soon."

"Thank you for your understanding, I'll forward your well-wishes to him," Oikawa said with a sad smile.

Hoshiumi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why does he care so much about his boss's love life? Isn't it none of his business?"

"Iwa-chan's a sensitive soul, he can't help how he feels."

"You should put him on speaker so we can all comfort the poor guy," drawled Miya.

Oikawa sighed and shook his head. "Iwa-chan's really shy around strangers, you'll just embarrass him. And as if I'd let him speak to _you_ , Atsumu-chan, who knows how you'll corrupt him."

"He's twenty-six, not six years old. I couldn't corrupt him even if I tried."

"It's my duty to protect Iwa-chan's purity no matter how old and wrinkly he gets!"

"Aren't you the biggest threat to his purity?"

"I'll take that as a compliment~"

Ushijima looked mildly confused throughout the whole exchange, as though the Iwaizumi in Oikawa's stories wasn't quite matching up with his own impression of Iwaizumi Hajime.

Their assistant coach pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation and sighed. "Whatever. Don't be late for afternoon practice, Oikawa."

"Of course. Have fun at the workshop, everyone!" called Oikawa, shooting them all a taunting wink before closing the door with a bang.

Fingers wrapped around the crook of his elbow as Hinata leaned in to whisper something in his ear. "I didn't know Iwaizumi-san was so sentimental." His warm breath made the hairs on the nape of his neck flutter. Tobio could barely make out his words over the sudden crescendo of his heartbeat in his ears, and he suddenly noticed that the PR representative was watching them from the front of the meeting room, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

"Kageyama?"

Tobio flinched. Hinata's hand dropped back into his lap.

Practice went by without a hitch after the workshop ended, and soon it was time to head home. They walked down the street together in silence, Hinata a few paces behind him. He wanted to talk about what happened this past week, but he didn't know how to bring it up in a way that didn't make him sound silly for caring so much about it.

"--yama. Kageyama."

Tobio was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice Hinata was talking to him until he shouted his name.

"Tobio!" 

"What?"

The setting sun illuminated the lines of Hinata's face, and he looked like he was glowing inside. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? We're partners."

Tobio awkwardly adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "I was planning on telling you, but it seemed stupid."

"It's not stupid," Hinata said hotly, striding forward and grabbing his arm. "You do a lot of stupid things, but this isn't one of them."

"Hey! What do you mean by 'stupid things'?"

"Why didn't you tell me about what happened with Oikawa-san earlier?" pressed Hinata.

Tobio scrunched up his face. "...I don't know."

Deep down inside, part of him had been worried about how Hinata would react to the article. It was a dumb worry because Hinata was possibly the most single-minded and optimistic person he had ever met, but Tobio still wanted to do _better._

"You know I know you and Oikawa-san aren't dating and that article was fake," Hinata snorted. "You should've just told me what happened so we could have laughed at it together."

"So you're not jealous?"

"I _am_ jealous," said Hinata, looking up at him with a fierce expression. "I'm really, really jealous that everyone thinks you're dating someone else because you're _mine_."

Tobio's heart felt like it might beat out of his chest and fly away, soaring high above the clouds and the gold-plated sky. He wasn't very good with words in the first place, and now it was near impossible to force a sound past the tightness of his chest.

Noticing the look on Tobio's face, Hinata's face spread into a wide smile. "But whenever I start getting mad or whatever, you'll do something cute or say something dumb, and I'll think to myself 'I'm the only one he'll ever look at like this. I'm the one he'll ever like this much.' And as long as that's true, nothing else matters." Hinata took a deep breath in. "I don't care if you never want to tell anyone about us," he said earnestly. "It's none of their business anyway."

"...Idiot," mumbled Tobio. 

Hinata just laughed. "I mean, our parents and friends already know so it's not like we're in _hiding_ or anything. Who cares what anyone else thinks?" Hinata reached out and took Tobio's hand in his, tugging lightly. "C'mon, let's go home. I'm hungry."

Tobio threaded their fingers together. Hinata's eyes looked like they were full of stars. "Maybe not now, but someday I'll let everyone know about us," he said, looking him in the eye. "I promise."

Hinata's smile was the brightest thing he had ever seen. "Okay! It's a promise."

***

"Why do I have to go take out the garbage? Isn't it your turn today?"

"Because I'm busy making lunch, and the trashcan's gonna overflow if we don't do it now." Noticing the grumpy look on Tobio's face, Hinata set down his knife and waved him over. "Come over here."

He begrudgingly shuffled over until they were standing side by side. "What is it?"

Hinata threw his arms around Tobio's neck, jumped up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Well, more like collided with his cheek, but it was the thought that counted. "Okay, there you go! A gold star for you. Feeling better now?"

"Not really," he lied. "I still hate sorting garbage. Everything looks the same anyway."

"You'll get better at it if you practice more. You basically develop this sort of, uh, instinct, and then _POW_ you can identify any piece of trash by eye without even looking at the labels!"

Tobio doubted that would ever happen, but he gathered up the bag of recycling anyway and trudged out the door. He really hated taking out the garbage. Sorting the garbage always confused him, and one of the old ladies in their apartment complex always yelled at him if he did it wrong. What was even the difference between flammable and inflammable trash anyway? You could burn anything if you tried hard enough.

The garbage disposal room was located in a dim room on the first floor of the building, and Tobio took the stairs two at a time going down. Although Tobio had been disgruntled with some of the side effects of filming commercials, he did have to admit they paid well. Well enough for him and Hinata to afford a nice apartment in Tokyo with a great view of the skyline, and generally nice neighbours. It was also only 20 minutes by train to the athletic complex where the national team trained. All these perks were nearly enough for him to forget about the unflattering gifs of him floating around on the internet.

He pushed open the door to the room and was mildly surprised to find someone else standing in front of the garbage bins. The person glanced over her shoulders at him as he entered, and her eyes brightened in recognition. "Good afternoon, Kageyama-san."

It was their next-door neighbour, one of the few people in this building whose name he actually sort of remembered. What was her name again? He knew it started with a 'Su' or something. Sugawara? No, wait, it was Subaru. Right! "Subaru-san. Hello."

She gave him an awkward smile. "Um, actually...it's Suzuki."

Shit. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright! Please don't take it to heart!" Suzuki cried, waving her hands frantically. She reminded him a little of Yachi, with how easily she seemed to get flustered.

Directing his attention back to the task at hand, Tobio stuffed his garbage bags in the bin and dusted off his hands. When he turned to leave, however, Suzuki stopped him in his tracks with her wavering voice. "Kageyama-san, could I talk to you about something?"

Tobio's eyes widened in surprise. Was she going to confess? He had received his fair share of confessions back in high school, and he learned how to look for warning signs of one and brace himself accordingly. Suzuki seemed like a reasonable person though the few times they had spoken, and hopefully, she would take 'no' for an answer once he respectfully turned her down, unlike that one girl in their third year of high school. Otherwise, they would probably have to move apartments just to avoid her.

"It depends," he said cautiously.

Suzuki bit her lip, blush darkening. "Ah. Um. Sorry, I don't mean to be forward, but I really can't hold it back anymore...it shouldn't take too long?"

She really was going to confess. Tobio's heart sank. He had no idea what she even saw in him; all they ever talked about was garbage and how to sort it, and even he knew it wasn't exactly a romantic conversation topic. God, he hated garbage days _so much_ right now.

"...so I just wanted to ask, um, is everything alright with your girlfriend? I mean, is there any noise...uh...I mean, I've noticed there's been a lot of noise coming from your apartment lately?"

Tobio stared at her in confusion. He was about to say that he didn't have a girlfriend, but _oh_ , she meant Hinata. If she knew he was unavailable, then why was she still doing this? People were so complicated.

"Yes, everything is completely fine," he replied, placing extra emphasis on 'fine' so she wouldn't get her hopes up.

"Yeah, I could tell," she said, laughing. Her laughter trailed off as realization dawned on her face, and she suddenly looked mortified. "Sorry! I didn't mean it that way! Ah, what am I even saying?! I'm so, so sorry!"

"It's fine." He adjusted his grip on his garbage bag, unsure where the conversation was headed.

Suzuki took a deep breath and seemed to steel herself for whatever was coming next. "Anyway, Kageyama-san...I don't mean to meddle in your personal affairs, but I would really appreciate it if you could, um, keep the noise down at night... Ah! I'm not saying you should be completely quiet, it's more the _duration_ of the noise that I'm having trouble bearing...it's probably not good for your h-health to be doing it for over an hour anyway...?"

Tobio stared at her.

"I'm really sorry!" she squeaked, cowering back in fear. "It's just, the thumping is kind of distracting when I'm trying to study in the evenings, and it's been going on every night these past few weeks, and, and, _I just can't take it anymore!"_

Her shout echoed through the empty room.

What did thumping have anything to do with his health? Tobio stared at her in confusion for a few moments before realization slowly dawned on him and his face morphed into mortification. "That's, we weren't--" he spluttered, "we were _practicing volleyball_ , not... _that."_

She looked equally as mortified as he was. "I'm so sorry!" she cried, bowing. "I shouldn't have assumed. Sorry! Let's pretend this never happened!"

Gradually, Tobio's heart rate settled back to normal. "I'm sorry too, we shouldn't have served the ball against the wall. We'll practice outdoors from now on."

"Ah...thank you," she said, wringing her hands. After a pause, she spoke up tentatively, "Do you play volleyball recreationally or are you an athlete...?"

"An athlete." He thought about it and added, "We have an upcoming competition so we've been practicing a lot these days."

"That makes sense." Suzuki brushed her hair behind her ear and smiled at him. "Well, good luck," she said shyly. "I don't know what competition you're practicing for, but I hope you win."

He grinned. "We will."

***

They were lying side-by-side on the bed. Tobio turned his head to the side to look at Hinata. After a few seconds, Hinata rolled onto his side to face him. There was a pink mark on his collarbone.

"These cardboard beds are too flimsy," Tobio complained.

Hinata's lips parted in a surprise, and he burst into laughter.

***

"--and Hinata Shouyou scores the match point for Japan, securing the men's volleyball team the gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the first time in--"

"Tobio! We won!"

Hinata barrelled into him, and Tobio took a step back from the impact, wrapping his arms around Hinata's waist. The noise in the stadium around him faded into nothing. All he could hear was the rapid drum of his heartbeat, the sound of their breaths, and the smile in Hinata's voice as he leaned in and whispered: "I love you."

Tobio hugged him tighter. "I love you too."

***

**Phoenix Forums > Banter & Leisure**

**Is anyone watching the 2023 Volleyball Men's World Cup right now?**

1: Volleybot XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

So. I know this isn't the go-to board for sports-related discussions, but I'm curious to know if anyone here watches volleyball? I checked to see if there were any official watch threads/discussion threads, and since there were none I've decided to start one myself! 

I recently got super into the Japanese national volleyball team and I've been catching up on all their past matches. I regret not watching the livestream of the Olympics back in the day...the viewing experience really isn't the same now that I already know how it's going to end. Anyway, the volleyball world cup is airing right now and I'm just super pumped, haha. Japan's next match is tomorrow night at 20:00 pm and they're doing really well so far; hopefully they'll keep up the winning streak!

In terms of shipping and that usual business, the current starting setter Kageyama Tobio is pretty handsome and I think some people ship him with opposite hitter Hinata Shouyou or something? They're known as a duo and apparently they've been playing together since high school, so...

I don't really know what else to say, so here's a few of the pics I have saved on my computer:

[kageyama_service_ace.gif]

[kageyama_and_hinata.jpg]

[national_team_roster.jpg]

2: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

! I remember watching them in the summer Olympics a few years back when I was still in middle school...I think I cried when they won gold, haha ^^

17: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

Sorry OP, the guy's hot and all but I'm still too traumatized from that time I got thwacked on the head by a volleyball net pole in middle school. I'll see myself out...

25: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

eh, I dunno. I don't really ship real people together, it kind of weirds me out.

33: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

What's their pairing name called? Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shouyou, I mean.

50: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 33 Speak unto me and you shall receive. It's KageHina.

101: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

With my dying voice I'll scream into the dark void that stretches between galaxies: KAGEHINA IS REAL------!

500: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

Curry King

666: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

Wow, this post really brings back memories... This ship used to be huge on this one board at HQ Forums I went on ALL the time, which has since been closed down. I never thought I'd ever see it mentioned again... Can't believe I'm seeing a resurgence now...

711: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 666 It's not like the kagehina ship ever died, you know. People just haven't been as vocal about it ever since the casualties of the great naval battle of summer 2020.

723: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 723 You mean like a ship war? What were they even fighting about? Why is there drama in a volleyball rps fandom, for god's sake? They're literally all on the same team and all working towards the same goal!

730: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 723 Some photo a random paparazzi took. Ugh, just thinking about it makes my brain melt out of my ears; the whole wank was just SO DUMB that it makes me lose confidence in this world. Like, trolls were baiting the shippers everywhere and people were actually gullible enough to fall for their posts and then the antis popped up out of nowhere and torched the whole place... I'm SO glad the forums are gone and that dark history is finally behind us.

747: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 711 www was anyone even actually shipping KageHina seriously back then?

764: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 747 Surprisingly, yes? I mean, I know the ship started out as a meme alongside all the Curry King stuff, but a lot of people were actually really invested. There was a huge scandal (?) back in 2020 when Oikawa and Kageyama got photographed in a romantic restaurant together and the forum exploded into wank. There was a whole lot of brigading and nasty name-calling too, and I think a lot of people noped out in that period of time.

In the end, the whole thing was revealed to be a misunderstanding or something, but the damage was done. All this is to say that the forums back in the day were lawless wastelands with sparse moderation. 

781: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

I miss the old HQ forums...

802: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 781 are you kidding me? you seriously miss that cesspool?

815: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 802 To be fair, not ALL the boards were cancer. Just about 70% of them.

833: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 802 It may have been a cesspool but it was MY pool to splash around in =(

849: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 833 I did not need that mental image, no thank you.

867: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

Huh, I didn't know so many phoenixes here were veterans of HQ forums.

873: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 867 There was a mass migration from HQ to Phoenix back in the day, so there's a decent percentage of overlap between the user bases. I've never been on the board >> 666 was talking about, but I've heard horror stories. A lot of them.

875: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

>> 873 what kind of horror stories???

881: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

Where do I even begin? 

That time the Gossip & Entertainment board doxxed a fan artist and flooded her twitter with death threats because they thought she was lying about her disability and turns out she wasn't?

Or that time No Man's Land anons found out the full name of this one volleyball player's childhood friend (who's not a public figure), stalked him at his university, took pictures of his face for this doxing competition and got half the forum banned when the player himself found the post?

Or that time Let There Be Light anons photoshopped celebrities' faces into gay porn memes and spread them all over twitter?

Or that time the Sports board tried to get a (supposedly) gay athlete kicked off his team for fake drug use allegations they made up on the spot?

Or that time No Man's Land banded together and sent a female idol anonymous death threats for being too close to her top fan?

Or that time the kagehina ship war got so intense that three boards, twitter, and even the athletes themselves got involved and the national team had to post an official statement on twitter?

So, so many horror stories.

900: No Name XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

I can't believe 3 years have already passed

it feels like it was just yesterday.

999: Volleybot XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

Oh wow, I didn't know this ship had so much history. Does anyone want to give us newbies a summary or something? I tried following the links some people posted here, but some of the links were broken and I don't know where to start. Thanks!

1000: Let There Be Light XXXX/XX/XX 00:00:00

Well settle in for the ride, my friend. It's a long, long story...

***

People come and go, but the internet is forever.

***

[202X-XX-XX 19:05:48 TV Tokyo Special Feature]

[Yamada Teruko]: So, Kageyama-senshu, is there currently anyone special in your life?

[Kageyama looks directly into the camera and smiles.]

[Kageyama Tobio]: Yes, there is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CREDITS  
> Kageyama: Milk, Yogurt  
> Hinata: ☼  
> Oikawa: anon with a lot of Feelings about childhood friends, （＾－＾✿）(✿◉‿◉) ★~(◡︿◡✿) (◠‿◠✿) (✧ᴗ✧✿) (◡ω◡✿) (・ω ・✿), Oikawa Tooru  
> Miya: anon #1744

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Q&A](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25496614) by [ria_green](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ria_green/pseuds/ria_green)




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